2 February 2015

squalid

[skwol-id, skwaw-lid]

adjective
1. foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy.
2. wretched; miserable; degraded; sordid.

Origin

Latin

1585-1595; < Latin squālidus dirty, equivalent to squāl (ēre) to be dirty, encrusted + -idus -id4

Related forms

squalidly, adverb
squalidness, squalidity [skwo-lid-i-tee] (Show IPA), noun

Synonyms

1. unclean. See dirty.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for squalid
– The urban poor often lived and worked in squalid and dangerous conditions.
– Finding potable water is a problem for those living in squalid camps, but it may not be their biggest concern.
– The only landscapes he noticed were window-views of houses and his own squalid gardens, full of buddleia, which he also painted

Anagram

la squid

Today’s aphorism

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.

– C.S. Lewis.

On this day

2 February 1943 – the German 6th Army surrenders to Soviet forces in Stalingrad.

2 February 1964 – Hasbro launches G.I. Joe (‘Government Issue Joe), an Armed Forces toy.

2 February 1971 – Idi Amin declares himself President of Uganda and launches a genocidal program that massacres between 80,000 and 300,000 people.

2 February 1990 – South African President, F.W. De Klerk orders the release of Nelson Mandela from jail. Mandela had served 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid work with the African National Congress. De Klerk also lifted the 30 year ban on the ANC.