Sunday Word: Tatterdemalion

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Hi folks, I'll be offering a Sunday word from now on... starting with one I dearly love.

tatterdemalion [tat-er-di-meyl-yuh n]
adjective:
1. tattered or dilapidated
2. ragged; unkempt or dilapidated.
noun:
1. a person in tattered clothing; a shabby person.

Example:
Florry Talbot, a blond feeble goosefat whore in a tatterdemalion gown of mildewed strawberry, lolls spreadeagle in the sofa corner, her limp forearm pendent over the bolster, listening. (James Joyce, Ulysses)

Origin:
Early 17th century: from tatters or tattered: ending unexplained (Oxford Dictionaries)