Definition of PALTRY

paltry

Meanings

Adjective Satellite

  • not worth considering
    • "he considered the prize too paltry for the lives it must cost"
  • contemptibly small in amount
    • "a paltry wage"

Adj

  • Trashy, trivial, of little value.
  • Of little monetary worth.
  • Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Of uncertain ultimate origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”), see also Proto-Slavic *poltьno (“linen”).
Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly and pelting.

Scrabble Score: 11

paltry is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
paltry is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
paltry is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

paltry is a valid Words With Friends word