measly

 

measle (“singular of measles”) +‎ -y; the word measle is either from Middle Dutch masel (“a blister filled with blood; a pustule, a skin blemish”), or Middle Low German masel (“a red skin blemish”), from Proto-Germanic *masuraz (“a knot or scar in wood; a knarl”), from *mas-, *mēs- (“a spot; a sore; a scar”), from Proto-Indo-European *mos- (“a skin sore”).

• Lua error in Module:parameters at line 376: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈmiːzli/
• Lua error in Module:parameters at line 376: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈmizli/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Hyphenation: meas‧ly

measly (comparative measlier, superlative measliest)

1. Particularly of pigs or pork: infected with larval tapeworms or trichinae (parasitic roundworms).
2. Of a person: infected with measles.
3. Small (especially contemptibly small) in amount; miserable, paltry, trifling.

• “measly”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.