Pronounced: KWHY-nuh-ree
Notes: You may be able to guess the meaning of this word
Yesterday’s word
The word tatterdemalion means
- ragged or disreputable in appearance
- being in a decayed state or condition; dilapidated
First usage
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
Background / Comments
Originally, our word was written tatter-de-mallian. The origin of the word is uncertain, but is probably related to “tattered” or “ragged”. It was first a noun referring to a person wearing ragged clothes, but then became the adjective. The word ragamuffin has a similar meaning, but showed up in English shortly after tatterdemalion.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 