schabouwelijk
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Dutch[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Possibly from Dutch schabouw (“a position of the sails of a mill”) + -lijk, from French escabeau, from Latin scabellum, diminutive form of scamnum, from Proto-Indo-European *skap-. This would make sense phonetically but it would be unclear how the meaning of the words transitioned from "a position of the sails of a mill" to "miserable".
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Adjective[edit]
schabouwelijk (comparative schabouwelijker, superlative schabouwelijkst)
- (Belgium) poor
- Belgische soccer journalist op VRT: "het was een schabouwelijke eerste helft"
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Synonyms[edit]
- (poor): slecht
References[edit]
- Van Dale, 11. edition (1984)