tatterdemalion

1 of 2

noun

tat·​ter·​de·​ma·​lion ˌta-tər-di-ˈmāl-yən 

-ˈmal-,

-ˈma-lē-ən

: a person dressed in ragged clothing : ragamuffin

tatterdemalion

2 of 2

adjective

1

: ragged or disreputable in appearance

2

: being in a decayed state or condition : dilapidated

Did you know?

The exact origin of tatterdemalion is uncertain, but it's probably connected to either the noun tatter ("a torn scrap or shred") or the adjective tattered ("ragged" or "wearing ragged clothes"). We do know that tatterdemalion has been used in print since the 1600s. In its first documented use, it was a noun referring to a person in ragged clothing—the type of person we might also call a ragamuffin. (Ragamuffin, incidentally, predates tatterdemalion in this sense. Like tatterdemalion, it may have been formed by combining a known word, rag, with a fanciful ending.) Soon after the first appearance of tatterdemalion, it came to be used as an adjective to describe anything or anyone ragged or disreputable.

Synonyms

Adjective

• beat-up
• bombed-out
• dilapidated
• dog-eared
• down-at-the-heels
• down-at-heel
• down-at-the-heel
• down-at-heels
• dumpy
• grungy
• mangy
• mean
• miserable
• moth-eaten
• neglected
• ratty
• run-down
• scrubby
• scruffy
• seedy
• shabby
• sleazy
• tacky
• tatty
• threadbare
• timeworn
• tumbledown

Examples of tatterdemalion in a Sentence

Adjective

one of those tatterdemalion towns of the rust belt where the factories closed down decades ago

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Overhanging his outer compound wall were the only two remaining shade trees in the citadel, one a dying oak, the other a mulberry tree, and within the compound was a tatterdemalion garden, where a scrawny pomegranate tree drooped with heavy fruit. —Rod Nordland, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1608, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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