wallydraigle
English
editEtymology
editPrecise etymology is unclear. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary suggests the word may come from Scots wally, a variant of wallaway, an interjection expressing woe. The Oxford English Dictionary agrees that the word is Scots, and suggests that the source of the second element is Scots draigle or English drag, both derived from Old English dragan (“to draw; to pull”). The term is attested since the 16th century.
Noun
editwallydraigle (plural wallydraigles)
- A feeble or underdeveloped person or animal.
References
edit- “wallydraigle”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “ˈwallydrag, ˈwallyˈdraigle, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Scots
editEtymology
editSee the English section, above.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editwallydraigle