shamble

¹

[ sham-buhl ]

noun

1. shambles, (used with a singular or plural verb)
   1. a slaughterhouse.
   2. any place of carnage.
   3. any scene of destruction:

      to turn cities into shambles.

   4. any scene, place, or thing in disorder:

      Her desk is a shambles.

2. British Dialect. a butcher's shop or stall.

shamble

²

[ sham-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, sham·bled, sham·bling.

1. to walk or go awkwardly; shuffle.

noun

1. a shambling gait.

shamble

/ ˈʃæmbəl /

verb

1. intr to walk or move along in an awkward or unsteady way

noun

1. an awkward or unsteady walk

Derived Forms

• ˈshambling, adjectivenoun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shamble¹

before 900; Middle English shamel, Old English sc ( e ) amel stool, table < Late Latin scamellum, Latin scamillum, diminutive of Latin scamnum bench; compare German Schemel

Origin of shamble²

1675–85; perhaps short for shamble-legs one that walks wide (i.e., as if straddling), reminiscent of the legs of a shamble ¹ (in earlier sense “butcher's table”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of shamble¹

C17: from shamble (adj) ungainly, perhaps from the phrase shamble legs legs resembling those of a meat vendor's table; see shambles

Example Sentences

Biden, like Obama and Bill Clinton before him, was faced with the challenge of rescuing an economy that his Republican predecessor had left in shambles.

From Salon

It was an utter shambles of a drill.

From BBC

All along we were watching Lois’ coma dream, and she wakes up to a life in shambles.

From Salon

Millions of customers, surfers and bathers have joined a chorus that former pop star Feargal Sharkey has been singing for years - that the sector is a “chaotic shambles”.

From BBC

The country has been without a president for two years, meaning it has no commander in chief of the army or effective way to deal with an economy in shambles.

From Los Angeles Times