Mangy
/ˈmæŋ.i/noun
Affected by mange, a skin disease causing intense itching and hair loss, or shabby and dirty in appearance.
Did you know?The disease-name mange comes from an old verb meaning “to eat,” inspired by the way the condition seemed to eat away at an animal’s skin and coat.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*menth-
“To chew or gnaw”
Classical Latin
Latin
mandere
“To chew or eat”
Late Latin
Latin
mandūcāre
“To chew or eat, especially greedily”
Old French
Old French
mangier
“To eat”
12th–13th Century
Old French
mange
“A skin disease, named with the imagery of something eating or consuming”
14th–16th Century
English
mange
“A contagious skin disease affecting animals”
18th Century–Modern English
English
mangy
“Suffering from mange; later, shabby, dirty, or contemptible”
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