Squalor
/ˈskwɒl.ər/noun
A state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially because of poverty or neglect.
Did you know?In Latin, squalor could mean grimy dirtiness, but also moral or emotional “roughness,” showing how ancient languages treated physical filth and social disgrace as the same kind of stain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*squel-
“A root associated with roughness, dirt, or being filthy”
Latin
Latin
squalere
“To be rough, foul, dirty, or neglected”
Latin
Latin
squalor
“Roughness, foulness, dirt, or a neglected condition”
Late Latin
Latin
squalor
“Filth, grime, or a shabby, unclean state”
14th Century
English
squalour
“Filth, dirtiness, or a filthy condition”
Modern English
English
squalor
“A filthy, run-down, or neglected state”
Explore more surprising origins