shambles

Meanings

Noun

• A piece of work done in a poor fashion.
• A scene of great disorder or ruin.
• A great mess or clutter.
• A scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation.
• A slaughterhouse.
• A butcher's shop.

Verb

• Third-person singular simple present indicative form of shamble

Origin

• From Middle English schamels, plural of schamel, from Old English sċeamol, sċamul, from Proto-West Germanic *skamul, *skamil, from Vulgar Latin scamellum, from Latin scamillum, from Latin scamnum ("bench, ridge, breadth of a field").