derelict

views updated May 21 2018

der·e·lict / ˈderəˌlikt/ • adj. in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect: the cities were derelict and dying. ∎  (of a person) shamefully negligent in not having done what one should have done: he was derelict in his duty to his country.• n. a person without a home, job, or property: derelicts who could fit all their possessions in a paper bag. ∎  a piece of property, esp. a ship, abandoned by the owner and in poor condition.

derelict

views updated May 14 2018

derelict XVII. — L. dērelictus, pp. of dērelinquere, f. DE- 3 + relinquere leave.
So dereliction abandonment XVII; reprehensible neglect (of duty, etc.) XVIII.

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