Shoddy Definition
Other Word Forms of Shoddy
Noun
Adjective
Origin of Shoddy
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Earlier shoddy worthless material, yarn made by shredding used woolen rags perhaps from dialectal shoad, shode loose fragments of ore on the ground indicating the presence of a lode from Old English scādan, scēadan to shed, divide skei- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
The modern adjectival sense was apparently derived from the use of inexpensive shoddy (“fabric from wool-processing byproduct") for unsuitable applications such as for military uniforms at the beginning of the US Civil War.
From Wiktionary
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Unknown, but possibly from shoad (“loose stone and rubble"), from Old English scádan (“to divide"), or possibly from the Arabic word for reuse. Shoad was of inferior quality for building.
From Wiktionary
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