rickety

English

Alternative forms

• ricketty

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪk.ɪ.ti/, /ˈɹɪk.e.ti/
• Rhymes: -ɪkɪti or Rhymes: -ɪketi

Etymology

Perhaps from Ancient Greek ῥάχις (rhákhis, “backbone”).

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

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不牢 (bùláo)

• Dutch: wankel (nl), gammel (nl), krakkemikkig (nl)
• Finnish: hutera, kuppainen (fi)
• French: branlant (fr), délabré (fr), boiteux (fr)
• German: wackelig (de)
• Greek: ετοιμόρροπος (el) m (etoimórropos), σαθρός (el) m (sathrós), ξεχαρβαλωμένος (el) m (xecharvaloménos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Haitian Creole: delambre
• Italian: traballante (it)
• Maori: tūretireti
• Persian: زپرتی (fa) (zeperti)
• Portuguese: precário (pt)
• Russian: ве́тхий (ru) (vétxij)
• Spanish: enclenque (es)
• Swedish: skranglig (sv)

feeble in the joints, tottering

• Catalan: inestable
• Dutch: gebrekkig (nl)
• Finnish: hauras (fi)
• French: boiteux (fr)
• German: gebrechlich (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: ετοιμόρροπος (el) m (etoimórropos)
• Russian: трясущийся (ru) (trjasuščijsja)

affected with rickets

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 佝偻病的 (gōulóubìngde)

• Dutch: rachitisch
• Finnish: riisitautinen (fi)
• French: rachitique (fr)
• German: rachitisch (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: ραχιτικός (el) m (rachitikós)
• Haitian Creole: rachitik
• Italian: rachitico (it) m
• Portuguese: raquítico (pt)
• Russian: рахитичный (ru) (raxitičnyj)

Anagrams

• Trickey