scaly

English

Etymology

From Middle English scali, skaly. By surface analysis, scale +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskeɪli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪli

Adjective

scaly (comparative scalier, superlative scaliest)

1. Covered or abounding with scales.

   Synonyms: squamulose; see also Thesaurus:scaly

   Antonyms: scaleless, esquamulose

   a scaly fish  a scaly stem

2. Composed of scales lying over each other.

   a scaly bulb

3. Resembling scales, laminae, or layers.
4. (dated, vulgar or South Africa) low, mean.

   a scaly fellow

   • 1923, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Leave It to Psmith:

     This done, he removed the hat; and having touched his forehead lightly with a silk handkerchief, for the afternoon sun was warm, gazed about him with a grave distaste. “A scaly neighbourhood!” he murmured. The young man’s judgment was one at which few people with an eye for beauty would have cavilled.

Synonyms

• (covered with scales): lepidote (bot.), leprose (bot.)
• (resembling scales): leprose (bot.)

Antonyms

• (rare) unscaly

Derived terms

• scalily
• scaliness
• scaly anteater
• scaly-breasted lorikeet
• scaly clam
• scaly legs
• scaly-sided merganser
• scaly tetter
• scaly thrush

 

Translations

covered or abounding with scales

• Arabic: مُحَرْشَف (muḥaršaf), حَرْشَفِيّ (ḥaršafiyy)
• Bulgarian: люспест (ljuspest)
• Catalan: escamós
• Czech: šupinatý, šupinový
• French: écailleux (fr)
• German: schuppig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: λεπιδωτός (lepidōtós)

• Ingrian: soomukas
• Latin: squāmeus, squāmōsus
• Latvian: zvīņains
• Occitan: escamós
• Old English: scilig, scorfed
• Plautdietsch: scheepich
• Polish: łuskowaty (pl)
• Portuguese: escamoso (pt)
• Romanian: solzos (ro), scuamos
• Russian: чешу́йчатый (ru) (češújčatyj)
• Spanish: escamoso
• Swedish: fjällig (sv)

resembling scales, laminae, or layers

• Russian: чешу́йчатый (ru) (češújčatyj)
• Spanish: escuamiforme

Noun

A drawing of a scaly yellowfish

scaly (plural scalies)

1. (South Africa) The scaly yellowfish (Labeobarbus natalensis).

References

• Scaly yellowfish on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Labeobarbus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Labeobarbus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• Clays, acyls, clays