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tatterdemalion

 - 3 dictionary results

tat⋅ter⋅de⋅mal⋅ion

  [tat-er-di-meyl-yuhn, -mal-]
Use tatterdemalion in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person in tattered clothing; a shabby person.
–adjective
2. ragged; unkempt or dilapidated.
Origin:
1600–10; first written tatter-de-mallian and rhymed with Italian; see tatter 1 ; -de-mallian < ?
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tat·ter·de·mal·ion   (tāt'ər-dĭ-māl'yən, -mā'lē-ən)   
n.  A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing; a ragamuffin.
adj.  Ragged; tattered.

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

tatterdemalion 
"ragged child, person dressed in old clothes," 1608, probably from tatter, with fantastic second element, but perhaps also suggested by Tartar, with a contemporary sense of "vagabond, gypsy."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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