Jury-Rigged
/ˈdʒʊəri ˌrɪɡd/noun
Improvised or repaired in a makeshift way using whatever materials are available.
Did you know?The first word, jury, is likely nautical slang of uncertain origin, and by the 19th century it was being used for temporary makeshift masts and repairs—proof that desperation can become vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
English
jury-rig
“A temporary or makeshift rig on a ship, especially a substitute mast or sail arrangement”
19th Century
English
jury-rigged
“Repaired or equipped in a temporary, improvised way”
Early Modern English
English
jury
“A makeshift or temporary substitute in nautical use”
Old Norse
ON
rigga
“To rig or equip a ship”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*reiganą
“To arrange, equip, or prepare”
Modern English
English
jury-rigged
“Improvised, makeshift, or hastily repaired”