tattered

English

Alternative forms

• tottered

Etymology

From Middle English tatered, tatird, from Old Norse tǫturr. Originally, it was derived from the noun, but it was later reanalysed as a past participle (tatter +‎ -ed), whereafter the verb came into being. Compare tatter.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtætəd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtætɚd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

tattered (not comparable)

1. Rent in tatters, torn, hanging in rags; ragged.

   Synonyms: raggedy, ragtag, tatterdemalion

   • 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress:

     The chattering, irrational brute of the subconscious clothes itself in the tattered garments of rationality and idealism.

2. Dressed in tatters or rags; ragged.

   Synonyms: raggy; see also Thesaurus:unkempt

   • 1784, The House that Jack Built, page 8:

     This is the Prieſt all ſhaven and ſhorn, that married the man all tattered and torn[.]

   • 1895 October, Stephen Crane, chapter X, in The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 101:

     The tattered man waved his hand.

3. (obsolete) Dilapidated; showing gaps or breaks; jagged; broken.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:deteriorated, Thesaurus:ramshackle

Related terms

• tatty
• tatterdemalion

Translations

ragged and torn

Azerbaijani: cırıq Bulgarian: дрипав (bg) (dripav), парцалив (bg) (parcaliv) Finnish: resuinen French: abîmé (fr), en loques, en haillons, loqueteux (fr) m Greek: Ancient: ῥάκινος (rhákinos) Irish: adhastrach, ribíneach Italian: stracciato (it), a brandelli, liso (it) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: شِڕوشاڵ (şirruşall) Latin: pannuceus Maori: tāreperepe Occitan: esparracat Persian: سخش sg (saxš) Plautdietsch: lunsich Russian: дра́ный (ru) (drányj), рва́ный (ru) (rványj), обо́рванный (ru) (obórvannyj) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: по̏дера̄н, раздеран, пр̏њав, дро̏њав Roman: pȍderān (sh), razderan, pȑnjav (sh), drȍnjav (sh) Spanish: andrajoso (es)

dressed in tatters or rags

Bulgarian: опърпан (bg) (opǎrpan) Finnish: resuinen Galician: adán (gl), albardeiro (gl), badanas (gl), baldreo (gl), baldroeiro (gl), baldrogas (gl), bandalleiro, bandallo (gl), brégolas (gl), calazas, capiceiro, esfarrapado, fargallón (gl), farrapeiro, farrapento, farroupeiro, galdrapeiro, palafustrán (gl), pastrán (gl), pelandrán (gl), pingallo (gl), pingón (gl), torgallo (gl), touporroutou (gl), vascalleiro (gl), vascallo (gl), zalapastrán (gl), zampallán (gl), zampallón (gl) Portuguese: esfarrapado (pt) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: пр̏њав, дро̏њав Roman: pȑnjav (sh), drȍnjav (sh)

Verb

tattered

1. simple past and past participle of tatter

References

• “tattered”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “tattered”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Anagrams

• tetrated