English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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A variant of dialectal scranny (thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality), perhaps from Old Norse skran (rubbish; junk) +‎ -y. Compare Norwegian skran (lean, thin, skinny), English scrannel (lean; meager; poor; worthless).

Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skrælna (to be shrivelled).[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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scrawny (comparative scrawnier, superlative scrawniest)

  1. Thin, malnourished, and weak.
    • 1992, Robert Jordan, “Chapter 31: Assurances”, in The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time; 4), London: Orbit Books, published 2021, →ISBN, page 498:
      “Tell him, in these words, that I will have his scrawny bones before me now. Tell him, Byar, and bring him if you must arrest him and those filthy wretches who disgrace the Children. Go.”

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “scrawny”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.