squalor · noun — filthiness and degradation, as from neglect or poverty. It carries an Arena rating of 1708, earned across 63 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, squalor ranks #926 of 17,148 for Most Vivid Words, #1,390 of 17,136 for Most Elegant Words, #1,424 of 17,136 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,019 of 17,135 for Most Satisfying to Say.
squalor is pronounced /ˈskwɒlə(ɹ)/.
Why “squalor” is a great word
SQUALOR — [Noun] The state of being extremely dirty and degraded, especially as a result of prolonged neglect or poverty. From the Latin squalor ("roughness, dirtiness"), from squalere ("to be filthy"). First attested in English in the 1620s. Unlike "poverty," which denotes a lack of means, or "slum," which names a dilapidated place, "squalor" is the specific, oppressive quality of filth that settles into a life. It is the greasy film on a cold stove, the sour-milk smell in unmoving air, and the damp, gritty texture of a floor never swept—the material evidence of surrender, a palpable testament to the slow violence of surrendered dignity.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From the Latin squālor.
noun
- Filthiness and degradation, as from neglect or povertye.g.“The heterogenous indigent multitude, everywhere wearing nearly the same aspect of squalor.” — 1860, Isaac Taylor, Ultimate Civilization: And other essays:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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