attery
English
Alternative forms
- attry
- aitrie, aittrie, etri (Scotland)
Etymology
From Middle English attery, attry, attri, ætriȝ, from Old English ǣttriġ, ǣtriġ (“poisonous”), from Proto-Germanic *aitrīgaz (“poisonous”), equivalent to atter (“poison”) + -y. Cognate with Dutch etterig (“purulent”), German eiterig (“purulent, festering”), Swedish ettrig (“poisonous”).
Adjective
attery (comparative more attery, superlative most attery)
- (dialectal or archaic) Poisonous; venomous
- (dialectal or archaic) Pernicious
- (of a wound or sore, dialectal or archaic) Purulent; containing pus or matter
- (of mood or disposition, dialectal or archaic) Bad-tempered; spiteful; quarrelsome; peevish; angry; hot-headed
- (of weather, dialectal or archaic) Cold; bleak; grim
Synonyms
- atterly
Noun
attery (uncountable)
- (of weather, dialectal or archaic) Cold, bleak weather.
Related terms
- atter
Anagrams
- treaty, yatter