measly
Etymology
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Etymology
From measle + -y; the word measle is either from Middle Dutch masel, or Middle Low German masel, from Proto-Germanic *masuraz, from *mas-, *mēs- ("a spot; a sore; a scar"), from Proto-Indo-European *mos-.
Pronunciation Adjectivemeasly (comparative measlier, superlative measliest)
- Particularly of pigs or pork: infected with larval tapeworms or trichinae (parasitic roundworms). [from late 16th c.]
- Of a person: infected with measles.
- (figuratively, informal) Small (especially contemptibly small) in amount. [from mid 19th c.]
- Synonyms: miserable, paltry, trifling
- For one whole day's work all I was given was twenty measly pounds.
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