higgledy-piggledy

adverb

hig·​gle·​dy-pig·​gle·​dy ˌhi-gəl-dē-ˈpi-gəl-dē 

: in a confused, disordered, or random manner

tiny hovels piled higgledy-piggledy against each other

—Edward Behr

higgledy-piggledy adjective

Did you know?

We really have no idea where higgledy-piggledy came from, but we do know it's a perfect demonstration of English speakers' fondness for reduplication—that is, for forming new words by repetition of a base word often with a slight change of sound. In this case, the base word might actually be the second term, which encompasses the word pig and calls to mind the association of pigs with disorderliness. Although we don't know when exactly higgledy-piggledy first appeared in print, we do know that the word has been around since before 1600. John Florio's A Worlde of Wordes, an English-Italian dictionary first published in 1598, used higgledy-piggley as a defining term for the Italian word alla rinfusa, along with two other examples of reduplication, pell-mell and helter-skelter.

Examples of higgledy-piggledy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024

Go local in Tokyo Courtesy of Trunk Hotels Hidden in the higgledy-piggledy lanes of Tokyo’s Kagurazaka district (also known as ‘Little Kyoto’), Trunk(House) helps its guests experience the city in a way few other hotels can. —Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

higgledy-piggledy

adverb

hig·​gle·​dy-pig·​gle·​dy

ˌhig-əl-dē-ˈpig-əl-dē

: in confusion : topsy-turvy

higgledy-piggledy adjective