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pal⋅try
/
ˈpɔl
tri
/
Show Spelled Pronunciation
[
pawl
-tree
]
Show IPA
Use
paltry
in a Sentence
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paltry
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paltry
–adjective,
-tri⋅er,
-tri⋅est.
1.
ridiculously or insultingly small:
a paltry sum.
2.
utterly worthless.
3.
mean or contemptible:
a paltry coward.
Origin:
1560–70;
< LG
paltrig
ragged, equiv. to
*palter
rag (dial. G
Palter
) +
-ig
-y
1
Related forms:
pal⋅tri⋅ly,
adverb
pal⋅tri⋅ness,
noun
Synonyms:
1.
minor, inconsiderable, slight, insignificant.
See
petty.
Antonyms:
1.
important, major.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To
paltry
pal·try
(pôl'trē)
adj.
pal·tri·er
,
pal·tri·est
Lacking in importance or worth. See Synonyms at
trivial
.
Wretched or contemptible.
[Probably from obsolete and dialectal
paltry
,
trash
, perhaps from Low German
paltrig
,
ragged
, from
palte
,
rag
.]
pal'tri·ly
adv.
,
pal'tri·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.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
paltry
(adj.)
1570, probably adj. use of noun
paltry
"worthless thing" (1556), associated with dial.
palt, pelt
"trash," cognate with M.L.G. and E.Fris.
palte
"rag," M.Du.
palt
"broken or torn fragment." Cf. Low Ger.
paltrig
"rubbishy," E.Fris.
palterig
"ragged, torn."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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