This week’s theme
Words coined after animals

This week’s words
doryphore
ratty
pullulate
winkle
capriole

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(RAT-ee)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Of, relating to, or full of rats.
2. Shabby.
3. Irritable; angry.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old English raet (rat). Earliest documented use: 1852.

USAGE:

“A bathing suit so ratty it nearly falls off causes her to buy a new one.”
Alexandra Owens; Give It Up; Allure (New York); Jul 2013.

“Reduced congestion, it seems, does a lot more than soothe ratty drivers.”
Life Toll; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 15, 2009.

See more usage examples of ratty in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: