Dictionary

shack en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ʃæk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Unknown. Some scholars derive this word from Mexican Spanish jacal, from Nahuatl xacalli (“adobe hut”). Alternatively, the word may instead come from ramshackle/ramshackly (e.g., old ramshackly house) or perhaps it may be a back-formation from shackly. Compare Tavringer Romani hak (“place, house”), Traveller Norwegian hak (“place”).

Meanings

1. A crude, roughly built hut or cabin.
   • The men resided in a huge bunk house, which consisted of one room only, with a shack outside where the cooking was done. In the large room were a dozen bunks ; half of them in a very dishevelled state, […] 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 6, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
2. Any poorly constructed or poorly furnished building.
   • The stations are generally very poor, even for a branch line; some are mere wooden shacks, and Moniaive itself is one of the least prepossessing terminal stations I have ever seen. 1944 January and February, E. R. McCarter, “The Cairn Valley Light Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 48:
3. (slang) The room from which a ham radio operator transmits.

Forms

Deriveds

shack rat · shackless · clam shack · shacky · shacklike · shackjob · cookshack · shackland · shotgun shack · sugar shack · radio shack · whack shack · shackdweller · shacktown · slanshack · shack-shack · love shack

Synonyms

camp · shanty · hovel

Translations (154)

zza bereqa (crude hut) · ur جھون٘پْڑی (crude hut) · cs chýše (crude hut) · gl cafúa (crude hut) · es champa (crude hut) · tg кулба (crude hut) · alt аланчык (crude hut) · pl barak (crude hut) · ru хи́жина (crude hut) · sk chatrč (crude hut) · el καλύβα (crude hut) · fi rötiskö (crude hut) · cmn 棚子 (crude hut) · es tugurio (crude hut) · ga bothán (crude hut) · fi tönö (crude hut) · hi झोपड़ी (crude hut) · ar تَخْشِيبَة (crude hut) · th กระต๊อบ (crude hut) · is skúr (crude hut) · it baracca (crude hut) · az daxma (crude hut) · it bicocca (crude hut) · hi कुटिया (crude hut) · uk хати́нка (crude hut) · lt lūšnelė (crude hut) · lv būda (crude hut) · cmn 棚戶 /棚户 (crude hut) · ja 掘っ立て小屋 (crude hut) · sv skjul (crude hut) · fi hökkeli (crude hut) · da hytte (crude hut) · fa-ira آلونَک (crude hut) · pt cabana (crude hut) · vi lán (crude hut) · ota باراقه (crude hut) · bg бара́ка (crude hut) · ms pondok (crude hut) · sl baraka (crude hut) · nl keet (crude hut) · sk búda (crude hut) · ka ჯიხური (crude hut) · eo domaĉo (crude hut) · sv hydda (crude hut) · pt barraco (crude hut) · sh ко̀либа (crude hut) · es timberiche (crude hut) · th ตูบ (crude hut) · it stamberga (crude hut) · ru ха́тка (crude hut) · is kofi (crude hut) · rsk колїба (crude hut) · fa-ira کُلْبِه (crude hut) · ar كُوخ (crude hut) · ota قولبه (crude hut) · gl barga (crude hut) · ko 판잣집 (crude hut) · cmn 棚屋 (crude hut) · lo ຖຽງ (crude hut) · es barraca (crude hut) · mk колиба (crude hut) · mi kuha (crude hut) · ru сара́й (crude hut) · ko 소옥 (crude hut) · sl koliba (crude hut) · et onn (crude hut) · et hütt (crude hut) · pl buda (crude hut) · my တဲ (crude hut) · kk лашық (crude hut) · ja 仮小屋 (crude hut) · lo ກະທ່ອມ (crude hut) · da skur (crude hut) · id gubuk (crude hut) · sh kòliba (crude hut) · ug كۈلبە (crude hut) · hu putri (crude hut) · kk жаппа (crude hut) · it capannone (crude hut) · hi झुग्गी (crude hut) · uz kulba (crude hut) · ro baracă (crude hut) · sq pojatë (crude hut) · sq kolibe (crude hut) · pt choupana (crude hut) · la tugurium (crude hut) · ja 小屋 (crude hut) · it tugurio (crude hut) · tr kulübe (crude hut) · ko 오두막 (crude hut) · es cambuche (crude hut) · tk külbe (crude hut) · cs chalupa (crude hut) · hu viskó (crude hut) · de Hütte (crude hut) · pl chałupa (crude hut) · ro colibă (crude hut) · ru хиба́ра (crude hut) · ota عریش (crude hut) · ru халу́па (crude hut) · hi झुगिया (crude hut) · es rancho (crude hut) · km ខ្ទម (crude hut) · hy խրճիթ (crude hut) · ka ქოხი (crude hut) · nb skur (crude hut) · fr baraque (crude hut) · gl choupana (crude hut) · es casa bruja (crude hut) · es jacal (crude hut) · uk бара́к (crude hut) · ru хиба́рка (crude hut) · it topaia (crude hut) · lo ຕູບ (crude hut) · hu kalyiba (crude hut) · be халу́па (crude hut) · nb hytte (crude hut) · sq kasolle (crude hut) · de Bude (crude hut) · crh alaçıq (crude hut) · uk халу́па (crude hut) · nl krot (crude hut) · vi chòi (crude hut) · sq barakë (crude hut) · sk chalupa (crude hut) · lt trobelė (crude hut) · be бара́к (crude hut) · fr cabanon (crude hut) · is hreysi (crude hut) · fa-ira کازِه (crude hut) · he צְרִיף (crude hut) · it capanno (crude hut) · tt алачык (crude hut) · pt tugúrio (crude hut) · sl bajta (crude hut) · th กระท่อม (crude hut) · nl hut (crude hut) · tg коза (crude hut) · be хаці́на (crude hut) · cmn 寮 (crude hut) · mi pākorokoro (crude hut) · cs chatrč (crude hut) · lt lūšna (crude hut) · mn овоохой (crude hut) · ru лачу́га (crude hut) · pdt Schedd (crude hut) · ru время́нка (crude hut) · es chabola (crude hut) · bg коли́ба (crude hut) · gl naguela (crude hut) · ru бара́к (crude hut) · ky алачык (crude hut) · fa-ira کَریج (crude hut) · pt casebre (crude hut)

shack en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ʃæk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Unknown. Some scholars derive this word from Mexican Spanish jacal, from Nahuatl xacalli (“adobe hut”). Alternatively, the word may instead come from ramshackle/ramshackly (e.g., old ramshackly house) or perhaps it may be a back-formation from shackly. Compare Tavringer Romani hak (“place, house”), Traveller Norwegian hak (“place”).

Meanings

1. To live (in or with); to shack up.

Forms

Translations (9)

ro coabita (live in or with) · fi asua (live in or with) · da sove hos (live in or with) · zza komek (live in or with) · ro conviețui (live in or with) · it coabitare (live in or with) · fi bunkata (live in or with) · it convivere (live in or with) · eo kunloĝi (live in or with)

shack en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ʃæk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Obsolete variant of shake. Compare Scots shag (“refuse of barley or oats”).

Meanings

1. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Grain fallen to the ground and left after harvest.
2. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Nuts which have fallen to the ground.
3. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Freedom to pasturage in order to feed upon shack.
   • 1996, J M Neeson, Commoners http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN0521567742&id=2CqhjjiwLtEC&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&sig=3geUREguU3vTYj_05PtAfzFODDA The fields were enclosed by Act in 1791, and Tharp gave the cottagers about thirteen acres for their right of shack.
   • […] first comes the case of tenants with a customary right to shack their sheep and cattle who have overburdened the fields with a larger number of beasts than their tenement entitles them to, or who have allowed their beasts to feed in the field out of shack time. 1918, Christobel Mary Hoare Hood, The History of an East Anglian Soke http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=OCLC11859773&id=rI0iE-yqyAMC&q=%22right+to+shack%22&prev=http://books.google.com/books%3Flr%3D%26q%3D%2522right%2Bto%2Bshack%2522&pgis=1
4. (UK, US, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable) A shiftless fellow; a low, itinerant beggar; a vagabond; a tramp.
   • All the poor old shacks about the town found a friend in Deacon Marble. 1868, Henry Ward Beecher, Norwood, or Village Life in New England:
   • Some peple hev a fakilty two get along into the world, whilst others air poor shacks & good for nothing. 1866, Betsey Jane Ward, Book of Goaks:
5. (countable, uncountable) Bait that can be picked up at sea.
6. (Nigeria, countable, slang, uncountable) A drink, especially an alcoholic one.

Forms

Deriveds

common of shack

shack en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ʃæk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Obsolete variant of shake. Compare Scots shag (“refuse of barley or oats”).

Meanings

1. (obsolete) To shed or fall, as corn or grain at harvest.
2. (obsolete) To feed in stubble, or upon waste.
   • They [turkeys] are then sold‥to the larger farmers to ‘shack’ upon the barley or oat stubbles. 1867, “Journal of the Royal Agriculatural Socirty”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
   • […] first comes the case of tenants with a customary right to shack their sheep and cattle who have overburdened the fields with a larger number of beasts than their tenement entitles them to, or who have allowed their beasts to feed in the field out of shack time. 1918, Christobel Mary Hoare Hood, The History of an East Anglian Soke http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=OCLC11859773&id=rI0iE-yqyAMC&q=%22right+to+shack%22&prev=http://books.google.com/books%3Flr%3D%26q%3D%2522right%2Bto%2Bshack%2522&pgis=1
3. (UK, dialectal) To wander as a vagabond or tramp.
4. (US, intransitive) To hibernate; to go into winter quarters.
5. (Nigeria, slang) To drink, especially alcohol.

Forms

shack en · ADJ · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /ʃæk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From shagged or shagged out.

Meanings

1. (Singapore, Singlish, alt-of, alternative, slang) Alternative form of shag (“exhausted; tiring”).
   alt of shag

Forms