English Explanatory Dictionary

paltry

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Trashy, trivial, of little value.
  2. Of little monetary worth.
  3. Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɒltɹi/ /ˈpɔːltɹi/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-paltry.wav /ˈpɔltɹi/ /ˈpɑltɹi/

Word forms

paltry paltrier paltriest paultry paultrie palterey

Etymology

From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Of uncertain ultimate origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”), see also Proto-Slavic *poltьno (“linen”). Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly and pelting.

Synonyms

insignificant unimportant petty trivial beggarly meager worthless pitiful trifling

Derived words

paltrily paltriness unpaltry

Translations

Arabic: بَخْس Bulgarian: жалък Bulgarian: нищожен Czech: nicotný Czech: ubohý Czech: mizerný Dutch: armzalig Dutch: meelijwekkend Dutch: beklagenswaardig Dutch: waardeloos Finnish: mitätön French: misérable French: dérisoire German: mager German: armselig German: schäbig Greek: ισχνός Greek: μηδαμινός Japanese: 取るに足らぬ Polish: marny Portuguese: pífio Russian: жа́лкий Russian: презренный Serbo-Croatian: mizeran Serbo-Croatian: bijedan Serbo-Croatian: bedan Spanish: mezquino Spanish: mesquino Spanish: exiguo Spanish: mísero Spanish: despreciable Swedish: ynklig Swedish: futtig
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