paltry

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɒltɹi/, /ˈpɔːltɹi/ (UK); /ˈpɔltɹi/, /ˈpɑltɹi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably an adjectival use of obsolete paltry “trash, worthless thing” (1556),^[2][3][4][5] related to dialect palt or pelt “trash, coarse cloth”^[3][4][5] and to Middle Low German palte “rag”.^[3][4][5] Some derive it directly from Low German paltrig “ragged”.^[2][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of things, worthless, trashy (1570).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

It was applied to people, “mean, contemptible”, from about 1592.^[7] Today it most often describes an insultingly small amount, as in a paltry sum.^[6][5]

Timeline

• 1556 – noun, rubbish.^[7][3]
• 1570 – adjective, worthless.^[7][3][5]
• about 1592 – of persons, contemptible.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Ridiculously or insultingly small; meager.
2. Of little importance or worth; trivial.
3. Mean or contemptible.

Word family

• paltrily
• paltriness

Usage notes

Random House gives minor, inconsiderable, slight and insignificant as synonyms, refers to petty for a discussion, and gives important and major as antonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press