Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

helter-skelter

 - 3 dictionary results
helter skelter
Get contact information for the best booking agents in music
www.FreeMusicContacts.com

hel⋅ter-skel⋅ter

  [hel-ter-skel-ter]
Use helter-skelter in a Sentence
–adverb
1. in headlong and disorderly haste: The children ran helter-skelter all over the house.
2. in a haphazard manner; without regard for order: Clothes were scattered helter-skelter about the room.
–adjective
3. carelessly hurried; confused: They ran in a mad, helter-skelter fashion for the exits.
4. disorderly; haphazard: Books and papers were scattered on the desk in a helter-skelter manner.
–noun
5. tumultuous disorder; confusion.
Origin:
1585–95; rhyming compound, perh. based on *skelt, ME skelten to hasten (< ?); redupl. with initial h parallel to hubble-bubble, higgledy-piggledy, etc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To helter-skelter
helter skelter
Get contact information for the best booking agents in music
www.FreeMusicContacts.com
hel·ter-skel·ter   (hěl'tər-skěl'tər)   
adv.  

  1. In disorderly haste; confusedly; pell-mell.

  2. Haphazardly.

adj.  

  1. Carelessly hurried and confused.

  2. Haphazard.

n.  Turmoil; confusion.

[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

helter-skelter 
1593, perhaps from skelte "to hasten, scatter hurriedly," with the first element merely for rhyme.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see helter-skelter on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way