tatterdemalion

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Tattered.

noun

A person with tattered clothing.

Pronunciation

/tætədəˈmeɪliɒn/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tatterdemalion.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-tatterdemalion.wav

Word forms

tatterdemalion more tatterdemalion most tatterdemalion tatterdemalions

Etymology

First attested circa 1608. An early spelling was tatter-de-mallion, rhymed with Italian. The first part of the word is tatter; the origin of the second part is uncertain; Ebenezer Cobham Brewer suggested it might be from de maillot (“shirt”).

Synonyms

shabby tacky scroungy beat beat up beaten up bedraggled broken-down crumbling derelict dilapidated draggled neglected ramshackle ruinous run-down seedy tatterdemalion timeworn tumbledown ragamuffin

Derived words

tatterdemalionism

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