Maladroit
/ˌmæl.əˈdrwɑː/noun
Lacking skill or dexterity; awkward or clumsy.
Did you know?Maladroit comes from French mal à droit, literally “badly to the right/skillfully,” with droit carrying the old sense of “straight, proper, skilled,” not just “right.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*der-
“to be firm, hold, support”
Latin
Latin
directus
“straight, guided in a straight line”
Old French
Old French
droit
“right, straight, proper; skilled”
Old French
Old French
mal à droit
“badly at/rightly; awkwardly, clumsily”
16th Century
English
maladroit
“awkward, clumsy, lacking dexterity”
Modern English
English
maladroit
“clumsy or tactless in movement or behavior”