Wordwyrt

shambles

/ˈʃæmbəlz/SHAM-buhlz
/ˈʃæmbəlz/SHAM-buhlz

Meaningsmall stool

Common meaning: state of complete disorder

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SKAP‘throw, to prop up’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 404, p. 744 · scan
  2. Latinscamellum‘small stool’source
  3. Old Englishscamel‘stool or bench’source
  4. Middle Englishshamel‘butcher's bench’source
  5. Englishmeaning shiftsbutcher's bench → state of complete disordershambles‘state of complete disorder’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin scamellum ‘small stool’.

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app