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SCRAWNINESS

 - 3 dictionary results

scrawn⋅y

  [skraw-nee]
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–adjective, scrawn⋅i⋅er, scrawn⋅i⋅est.
excessively thin; lean; scraggy: a long, scrawny neck.
Origin:
1825–35, Americanism; var. of dial. scranny < Norw skran lean + -y 1

Related forms:
scrawn⋅i⋅ly, adverb
scrawn⋅i⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
gaunt, emaciated.

Antonyms:
fleshy, plump.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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scraw·ny   (skrô'nē)   
adj.   scraw·ni·er, scraw·ni·est
Gaunt and bony. See Synonyms at lean2.

[Alteration of dialectal scranny, possibly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian skran, lean.]
scraw'ni·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

scrawny 
1833, apparently a dialectal variant of scranny "lean, thin" (1820), which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from O.N. skrælna "to shrivel."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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