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Shabby

//ˈʃæbi// adj, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of clothing, a place, etc.: unkempt and worn or otherwise in poor condition due to age or neglect; scruffy.

    "They lived in a tiny apartment, with some old, shabby furniture."

  2. 2
    Of a person: wearing ragged or very worn, and often dirty, clothing.

    "The fellow arrived looking rather shabby after journeying so far."

  3. 3
    Of a person, their behaviour, etc.: despicable, mean; also, not generous; stingy, tight-fisted. figuratively

    "shabby treatment"

  4. 4
    Poor in quality; also, showing little effort or talent. figuratively

    "His painting is not too shabby."

  5. 5
    Poor in quality; also, showing little effort or talent.; Of the pulse: thready, weak. archaic, figuratively
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Poor in quality; also, showing little effort or talent.; Of weather: wet and dreary. UK, dialectal, figuratively, informal
  2. 7
    Poor in quality; also, showing little effort or talent.; Chiefly of sheep: affected by shab or scab (“a skin disease”); scabby. UK, dialectal, figuratively
Adjective
  1. 1
    mean and unworthy and despicable wordnet
  2. 2
    showing signs of wear and tear wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To make (something) shabby (adjective adjective sense 1); to shabbify. transitive
  2. 2
    To become shabby; to shabbify. intransitive

    "You'll be one of those tough, square, solid middle-aged men, like a shabbying brown bear, your golden crew-cut greying judiciously at the temples."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The adjective is derived from shab (“(obsolete except UK, dialectal) scaly skin disease; skin disease of sheep; crust forming over wound, scab”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). The verb is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Dutch schabbig (“poor, needy, shabby”) * Middle High German schebic (modern German schäbig (“shabby”)) * Middle Low German schabbich (“miserable”) (modern Low German schabbig, schäbbig) * Scots shabby (“in poor health, ill”) * Swedish sjabbig (“shabby, mangy, scruffy”), skabbig (“scabby”)

Etymology 2

The adjective is derived from shab (“(obsolete except UK, dialectal) scaly skin disease; skin disease of sheep; crust forming over wound, scab”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). The verb is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Dutch schabbig (“poor, needy, shabby”) * Middle High German schebic (modern German schäbig (“shabby”)) * Middle Low German schabbich (“miserable”) (modern Low German schabbig, schäbbig) * Scots shabby (“in poor health, ill”) * Swedish sjabbig (“shabby, mangy, scruffy”), skabbig (“scabby”)

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