scrawny

Meaning

Thin, malnourished, and weak.

Frequency

C2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈskɹɔːni/
Etymology

In summary

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”).

Notes

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