Definition of "tatterdemalion" [tat•ter•de•mal•ion]

• A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing; a ragamuffin. (noun)
• Ragged; tattered. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "We do know that "tatterdemalion" has been used in print since the 1600s."
• "Within half a dozen years of the first appearance of "tatterdemalion," it came to be used as an adjective to describe anything or anyone ragged or disreputable."
• "The exact origin of "tatterdemalion" is uncertain, but it's probably connected to either the noun "tatter" ( "a torn scrap or shred") or the adjective "tattered""