Dictionary

lathy en · ADJ

Etymology

From lath + -y.

Meanings

1. (archaic) Like a lath; long and slender.
   • In this way he was dragged out; and as he crept up the bank, with the wet pouring from his apparel, which now clung tightly to his lathy limbs, he was greeted by the jeers of Nicholas. 1854, William Harrison Ainsworth, The Lancashire Witches:
   • And little lathy Charles with his long, narrow white face and obstinate chin, is no A B C of a boy. 1911, Hamilton Drummond, The Justice of the King:
   • 'Twas just a bit o' lathy old plank which Jim had throwed acrost the brook for his own conveniences. 1917, Rudyard Kipling, A Diversity of Creatures:
   • This one was tall and stocky, with a square head and fat nose; he looked more like a Negro than a lathy starving Indian […] 2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 25:
   • The man was somewhat younger, but of a figure equally wild; his frame was long and lathy, but his arms were remarkably short, his neck was rather bent, he squinted slightly, and his mouth was much away; … 1851, George H. Borrow, chapter V, in Lavengro:

Forms