catawampus
cat·a·wam·pus
catawampus · more catawampus · most catawampus
kreuz und quer
Out of alignment, in disarray or disorder: crooked, askewOut of alignment, in disarray or disorder: crooked, askew.
US/ˌkætəˈwɑmpəs/
Meaning
2 senses(US)Out of alignment, in disarray or disorder: crooked, askew.
kreuz und quer
(US)Fierce, destructive.
Translations
2 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
out of alignment, crooked, cater-corner:
Origin
The first part may be related to cater-corner. The second part may be related to wampish (The first part may be related to cater-corner. The second part may be related to wampish (“wriggle, twist about like a fish”).
Perhaps from catamount (“cougar, puma, lynx”), influenced by the adjective above.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more catawampus, most catawampus| Comparative | more catawampus Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most catawampus Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
9 synonymsfierce, destructive:destructiveB1fierceB2
Word family
1 related wordsDerivedcatawampusly
Lessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form