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paltry

 - 3 dictionary results

pal⋅try

  [pawl-tree]
Use paltry in a Sentence
–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.
Cite This Source Link To paltry
pal·try   (pôl'trē)   
adj.   pal·tri·er, pal·tri·est

  1. Lacking in importance or worth. See Synonyms at trivial.

  2. 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.
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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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