From Middle Low German paltrig, from palter, palte ("cloth, rag, shred"), from osx *paltro, *palto ("cloth, rag"), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô ("scrap, rag, patch").

Cognate with Low German palterig, dialectal German palterig. Compare also Low German palte, Western Frisian palt, Saterland Frisian Palte, dialectal German Palter, Danish pjalt, Swedish palta. See also palterly.

• (Canada) IPA: /ˈpɑltɹi/
• (British) IPA: /ˈpɒltɹi/, /ˈpɔːltɹi/
• (America) IPA: /ˈpɔltɹi/, /ˈpɑltɹi/

paltry (comparative paltrier, superlative paltriest)

1. Trashy, trivial, of little value.

   Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, petty, trivial

   This is indeed a paltry flyer about a silly product.

   She made some paltry excuse and left.

2. Of little monetary worth.

   Synonyms: meager, worthless, pitiful, trifling

   Could someone hope to survive on such a paltry income?

   Student grants these days are paltry, and many students have to take out loans.

   • c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC ↗, Act I ↗:

     As for those Samnites, and the men of Uz,
     That bought my Spanish oils and wines of Greece,
     Here have I purs'd their paltry silverlings.
     Fie, what a trouble 'tis to count this trash!

3. Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.

   a paltry coward

• French: dérisoire
• German: geringfügig, dürftig
• Italian: ridicolo, insignificante, modesto, irrisorio, insufficiente, miserabile
• Portuguese: pobre, insignificante, pífio
• Russian: пустяко́вый
• Spanish: insignificante, ridículo

• French: misérable, dérisoire
• German: mager, armselig, schäbig
• Portuguese: pífio
• Russian: жа́лкий
• Spanish: irrisorio, miserable