| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| dowdy |
| |
| SYLLABICATION: | dow·dy |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  dou d |
| ADJECTIVE: | Inflected forms: dow·di·er, dow·di·est
1. Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby: a dowdy gray outfit. 2. Old-fashioned; antiquated. | | NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. dow·dies
A dowdy person; a frump. | | ETYMOLOGY: | From Middle English doude, immoral, unattractive, or shabbily dressed woman. | | OTHER FORMS: | dowdi·ly —ADVERB
dowdi·ness —NOUN
dowdy·ish —ADJECTIVE
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
