Etymology dictionary. 2014.
shamble — ► VERB ▪ move with a slow, shuffling, awkward gait. ► NOUN ▪ a shambling gait. ORIGIN probably from dialect shamble «ungainly», perhaps from shamble legs, with reference to the legs of trestle tables typical of meat markets (see SHAMBLES(Cf.… … English terms dictionary
shamble — [sham′bəl] vi. shambled, shambling [< obs. adj. shamble, in shamble legs, prob. < SHAMBLES, in obs. sense of stool, bench] to walk in a lazy or clumsy manner, barely lifting the feet; shuffle n. a shambling walk … English World dictionary
Shamble — Sham ble, n. [OE. schamel a bench, stool, AS. scamel, sceamol, a bench, form, stool, fr. L. scamellum, dim. of scamnum a bench, stool.] 1. (Mining) One of a succession of niches or platforms, one above another, to hold ore which is thrown… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Shamble — Sham ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Shambled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Shambling}.] [Cf. OD. schampelen to slip, schampen to slip away, escape. Cf. {Scamble}, {Scamper}.] To walk awkwardly and unsteadily, as if the knees were weak; to shuffle along. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
shamble — [17] Shamble ‘slouch’ and the noun shambles [15] are probably related. The latter originally meant ‘meat market’. It arose out of the plural of the now obsolete shamble ‘meat stall, meat table’, which represented a semantic specialization of Old… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
shamble — [17] Shamble ‘slouch’ and the noun shambles [15] are probably related. The latter originally meant ‘meat market’. It arose out of the plural of the now obsolete shamble ‘meat stall, meat table’, which represented a semantic specialization of Old… … Word origins
shamble — sham|ble [ˈʃæmbəl] v [I always + adverb/preposition] [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: shamble (of legs) curved, badly formed (16 19 centuries), probably from shamble table from which meat is sold ( SHAMBLES); probably because of the similarity to table… … Dictionary of contemporary English
shamble — intransitive verb (shambled; shambling) Etymology: shamble bowed, malformed Date: 1717 to walk awkwardly with dragging feet ; shuffle • shamble noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
shamble — verb move with a slow, shuffling, awkward gait. noun a shambling gait. Derivatives shambly adjective Origin C16: prob. from dialect shamble ungainly , perh. from the phr. shamble legs, with ref. to the legs of trestle tables (typical of meat… … English new terms dictionary
shamble — UK [ˈʃæmb(ə)l] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms shamble : present tense I/you/we/they shamble he/she/it shambles present participle shambling past tense shambled past participle shambled to walk slowly in a tired or lazy way … English dictionary
