SQUALID

flyblown, squalid, sordid

(adjective) foul and run-down and repulsive; “a flyblown bar on the edge of town”; “a squalid overcrowded apartment in the poorest part of town”; “squalid living conditions”; “sordid shantytowns”

seamy, seedy, sleazy, sordid, squalid

(adjective) morally degraded; “a seedy district”; “the seamy side of life”; “sleazy characters hanging around casinos”; “sleazy storefronts with...dirt on the walls”- Seattle Weekly; “the sordid details of his orgies stank under his very nostrils”- James Joyce; “the squalid atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

squalid (comparative squalider, )

Extremely dirty and unpleasant.

Showing a contemptible lack of moral standards.

Etymology 2

Noun

squalid (plural squalids)

(zoology) Any member of the family Squalidae of dogfish sharks.

Source: Wiktionary


Squal"id, a. Etym: [L. squalidus, fr. squalere to be foul or filthy.]

Definition: Dirty through neglect; foul; filthy; extremely dirty. Uncomed his locks, and squalid his attrie. Dryden. Those squalid dens, which are the reproach of large capitals. Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

31 March 2025

IMPROVISED

(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

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