Word of the Day

: November 6, 2006

paltry

adjective PAWL-tree

What It Means

1 : inferior, trashy

2 : mean, despicable

3 : trivial

4 : meager, measly

paltry in Context

Nora was struggling to support herself on the paltry wages from her day job, so she began to wait tables at night to supplement her income.

Did You Know?

Before "paltry" was an adjective, it was a noun meaning "trash." That now obsolete noun in turn came from "palt" or "pelt," dialect terms meaning "a piece of coarse cloth," or broadly, "trash." The adjective "paltry" first meant "trashy," but currently has a number of senses, all generally meaning "no good." A "paltry house" might be run-down and unfit for occupancy; a "paltry trick" is a trick that is low-down and dirty; a "paltry excuse" is a trivial one; and a "paltry sum" is small and insufficient.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.