tatterdemalion

n.
A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing; a ragamuffin.

adj.
Ragged; tattered.

[Probably TATTERED + -demalion, of unknown meaning.]

(tat-uhr-di-MAYL-yuhn, -MALEE-uhn)

adjective
Ragged, tattered.

noun
A person in ragged clothes.

Etymology
From Middle English tater, from Old Norse toturr (rag). The origin of demalion is uncertain

Usage
"He might look like lord of all he surveys, but look closer: He's a tatterdemalion emperor, a dictator in rags constantly patrolling his hard-won fiefdom." — Washington City Paper; Theater Review: Free Your Mind; May 17, 2007.

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The city of Harare is described as tatterdemalion — raggedy and tattered and generally in poor condition — in a New York Times article on the economic mess in Zimbabwe:

"How bad is inflation in Zimbabwe? Well, consider this: at a supermarket near the center of this tatterdemalion capital, toilet paper costs $417.
No, not per roll. Four hundred seventeen Zimbabwean dollars is the value of a single two-ply sheet. A roll costs $145,750 — in American currency, about 69 cents. "

Link: How Bad Is Inflation in Zimbabwe?

Posted May 4, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun

A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing: ragamuffin, scarecrow. See better/worse, rich/poor.

adjective

Torn into or marked by shreds or tatters: ragged, raggedy, tattered. See better/worse.

1) ragged or disreputable in appearance, being in a decayed state: dilapidated  2) beggarly, disreputable

IN BRIEF: n. - A dirty shabbily clothed urchin adj. - In deplorable condition; Worn to shreds.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.