English Explanatory Dictionary

derelict

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Given up by the guardian or owner; abandoned, forsaken.
  2. Of a ship: abandoned at sea; of a spacecraft: abandoned in outer space.
  3. Of property: in a poor state due to abandonment or neglect; dilapidated, neglected.
  4. Adrift, lost.
  5. Negligent in performing a duty; careless.
noun
  1. Property abandoned by its former guardian or owner; (countable) an item of such property.
  2. Property abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery and no expectation of being returned to its owner; (countable) an item of such property, especially a ship.
  3. An abandoned or forsaken person; an outcast, a waif.
  4. A homeless or jobless person; a vagrant; also, a person who is (perceived as) negligent in their hygiene and personal affairs.
  5. A person who is negligent in performing a duty.
verb
  1. To abandon or forsake (someone or something).
  2. To neglect a duty.

Pronunciation

/ˈdɛr.ə.lɪkt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-derelict.wav /ˈdɛɹəˌlɪk(t)/

Word forms

derelict more derelict most derelict derelicts derelicting derelicted

Etymology

PIE word *de The adjective and verb are a learned borrowing from Latin dērelictus (“(completely) abandoned, deserted, forsaken; discarded”), the perfect passive participle of dērelinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake; to discard”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘away from; completely, thoroughly’) + relinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake, leave (behind); to depart (from); to give up, relinquish”) (from Proto-Italic *wrelinkʷō, from *wre (“again”) (whence Latin rē- (prefix meaning ‘again’)) + *linkʷō (“to leave”) (whence linquō (“to forsake; depart from, leave, quit”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave”))). Doublet of relict, relic, and relinquish. The noun is derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

dropped forlorn abandoned derelict desert deserted desolate discarded forsaken high and dry left behind orphaned crumbling rundown shabby tacky scroungy beat beat up beaten up bedraggled broken-down dilapidated draggled neglected ramshackle ruinous run-down seedy tatterdemalion timeworn tumbledown anchorless neglectful unfaithful careless cursory heedless irregardless irrespective lash lax negligent reckless regardless remiss slack slapdash sloppy slovenly slipshod bum stiff casual clochard dero down-and-out down-and-outer drifter epithite

Related words

dereliction relic relict relinquish

Derived words

derelictly derelictness dero derro derry semiderelict

Translations

Azerbaijani: atılmış Azerbaijani: baxımsız Azerbaijani: nəzarətsiz Azerbaijani: tərk edilmiş Bulgarian: изоставен Bulgarian: напуснат Chinese Mandarin: 荒廢的 /荒废的 Dutch: instorten Dutch: uiteenvallen Dutch: verlaten Dutch: verwaarloosd Finnish: hylätty French: abandonné French: délaissé French: (tombé) en ruines Georgian: აოხრებული Georgian: გაჩანაგებული Georgian: გაპარტახებული Georgian: გავერანებული Georgian: მიტოვებული German: aufgegeben German: verfallen German: verlassen Hindi: जर्जर Hungarian: elhagyatott Hungarian: elhagyott Hungarian: elhanyagolt Hungarian: gazdátlan Irish: fágtha béal in airde Irish: tréigthe Italian: abbandonato Kazakh: тастанды Latin: derelictus Latin: relictus Macedonian: на́пуштен Macedonian: за́пуштен Occitan: abandonat Polish: porzucony Portuguese: derrelicto Portuguese: derelito Portuguese: derrelito Portuguese: abandonado Russian: бро́шенный Russian: поки́нутый Russian: бесхо́зный Spanish: derelicto Turkish: terk edilmiş Vietnamese: bỏ hoang Finnish: hylätty omaisuus Finnish: hylkytavara Italian: oggetto abbandonato Italian: rifiuto
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