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tawdry

TAW-dree · adjective

Old EnglishEnglish

Origin

Tawdry began as a shortening of "tawdry lace," itself a corruption of "Saint Audrey lace" — necklaces sold at fairs in honor of Saint Audrey, from the Old English name Æðelþrȳð.

Journey

When these laces fell out of fashion in the 17th century, the word tawdry was reinterpreted to mean cheap or vulgar, losing its connection to the saint entirely.

Related words

The facts given don't support tracing tawdry to any other English cognate beyond its origin in Æðelþrȳð.

More words

From Old English

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