rickety

English

Alternative forms

• ricketty

Etymology

Unclear. The Ancient Greek ῥάχις (rhákhis, “backbone”) origin is disputed.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪk.ɪ.ti/, /ˈɹɪk.e.ti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkɪti, -ɪketi

Adjective

rickety (comparative ricketier, superlative ricketiest)

1. (of an object) Not strong or sturdy, as because of poor construction or upkeep; not safe or secure.

   He hesitated about climbing such a small, rickety ladder.

2. (of a person) Feeble in the joints; tottering.

   The rickety old man hardly managed to climb the stairs.

3. Affected with or suffering from rickets.

Synonyms

• (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over): precarious, unsteady, shaky, tottering, unsafe, unstable, wobbly, giddy

Translations

not strong because of poor construction or upkeep

• Bulgarian: разклатен (bg) (razklaten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不牢 (bùláo)

• Dutch: wankel (nl), gammel (nl), krakkemikkig (nl)
• Finnish: hutera (fi), kuppainen (fi)
• French: branlant (fr), délabré (fr), boiteux (fr)
• German: wackelig (de), wacklig (de), klapprig (de), gebrechlich (de)
• Greek: ετοιμόρροπος (el) m (etoimórropos), σαθρός (el) m (sathrós), ξεχαρβαλωμένος (el) m (xecharvaloménos)
• Haitian Creole: delambre
• Hungarian: rozoga (hu), roskatag (hu), roskadozó (hu), billegő (hu), ingatag (hu), ingadozó (hu), labilis (hu), düledező (hu), imbolygó (hu)
• Italian: traballante (it)
• Lao: ງ່ອນແງ່ນ (ngǭn ngǣn)
• Maori: tūretireti, tūoioi
• Persian: زپرتی (fa) (zeperti), فکسّنی (fa) (fakassani)
• Portuguese: precário (pt)
• Russian: ве́тхий (ru) (vétxij), ло́мкий (ru) (lómkij), хли́пкий (ru) (xlípkij)
• Spanish: enclenque (es)
• Swedish: skranglig (sv), ranglig (sv)
• Thai: ง่อนแง่น (ngɔ̂n-ngɛ̂n), กระง่อนกระแง่น (th) (grà-ngɔ̂n-grà-ngɛ̂n)

feeble in the joints, tottering

• Catalan: inestable (ca)
• Dutch: gebrekkig (nl)
• Finnish: hauras (fi)
• French: boiteux (fr)
• German: gebrechlich (de), tatterig (de)
• Greek: ετοιμόρροπος (el) m (etoimórropos)
• Hungarian: roskatag (hu), támolygó (hu), tántorgó (hu)
• Persian: فکسّنی (fa) (fakassani)
• Russian: трясущийся (ru) (trjasuščijsja)
• Thai: อ่อนแอ (th) (ɔ̀ɔn-ɛɛ), เปราะบาง (bprɔ̀-baang)

affected with rickets

• Bulgarian: рахитичен (rahitičen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 佝偻病的 (gōulóubìngde)

• Dutch: rachitisch (nl)
• Finnish: riisitautinen (fi)
• French: rachitique (fr)
• German: rachitisch (de)
• Greek: ραχιτικός (el) m (rachitikós)
• Haitian Creole: rachitik
• Hungarian: angolkóros (hu)
• Italian: rachitico (it) m
• Portuguese: raquítico (pt)
• Russian: рахитичный (ru) (raxitičnyj)
• Thai: เป็นโรคกระดูกอ่อน (bpen-rôok-grà-dùuk-ɔ̀ɔn)

Anagrams

• Trickey