scrannel

[ skran-l ]

/ ˈskræn l /

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adjective Archaic.

thin or slight.

squeaky or unmelodious.

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Origin of scrannel

First recorded in 1630–40; origin uncertain

Words nearby scrannel

scrambled egg, scrambled eggs, scrambler, scramjet, scran, scrannel, Scranton, scrap, scrapbook, scrape, scrape in

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scrannel in a sentence

To one who has heard the guns of Verdun, this piping is somewhat scrannel.
Our Part in the Great War|Arthur Gleason
The shell they struck gave a more melodious sound than the rough and scrannel pipe cut from the northern forests.
Amenities of Literature|Isaac Disraeli
Let us respect the mystery of the craft—have we not all dabbled in verse and essayed to play upon the scrannel-pipe?
Armorel of Lyonesse|Walter Besant
Suspicion, take it all in all, is the most tedious and scrannel of the sins.
The Book of This and That|Robert Lynd

Would not some poor scrannel-pipe, ill-blown, be nearer the mark?
Expositions of Holy Scripture|Alexander Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for scrannel

scrannel

/ (ˈskrænəl) /

adjective archaic

thin

harsh

Word Origin for scrannel

C17: probably from Norwegian skran lean. Compare scrawny

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012