- Today's Word
Tatterdemalion
[tat-er-dih-MAY-lee-un]
Definition
- (noun) A person who is dressed in ragged, torn, or shabby clothing. It often refers to someone who appears unkempt, disheveled, or down on their luck.
Example
The once-prosperous businessman, now a tatterdemalion, wandered the streets in his threadbare coat, a shadow of his former self.
Fun Fact
The word “tatterdemalion” has been in use since the 1600s and is thought to be derived from the word “tatter,” meaning a torn piece of cloth, and the name “Malevole,” a character from the 1604 play “The Malcontent” by John Marston, who was known for his ragged appearance.
(noun) A person who takes excessive pleasure in eating and drinking, often to the point of overindulgence.
The restaurant critic was a gourmand in the truest sense — not merely knowledgeable about food but physically incapable of leaving anything on the plate.
Gourmand comes from the Old French gourmant, meaning “glutton” or “one who eats greedily,” of uncertain further origin. It entered English in the 15th century carrying its French sense of someone defined by appetite rather than discernment. The word is frequently confused with gourmet — a person of refined culinary taste — but the distinction is meaningful: a gourmet selects carefully and savors deliberately, while a gourmand simply wants more. One is defined by quality, the other by quantity.