Wiktionary:Word of the day/2024/May 9

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derelict n

(uncountable) Property abandoned by its former guardian or owner; (countable) an item of such property. (uncountable, specifically, law) Property abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery and no expectation of being returned to its owner; (countable) an item of such property, especially a ship. (countable, dated) An abandoned or forsaken person; an outcast, a waif. (countable, by extension, derogatory) A homeless and/or jobless person; a vagrant; also, a person who is (perceived as) negligent in their hygiene and personal affairs. (countable, chiefly US) A person who is negligent in performing a duty. derelict adj Given up by the guardian or owner; abandoned, forsaken. (specifically) Of a ship: abandoned at sea; dilapidated, neglected; of a spacecraft: abandoned in outer space. (figurative) Adrift, lost. (chiefly US) Negligent in performing a duty; careless, deficient, neglectful, unfaithful. [...]

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