Dirty

How to spell dirty

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce dirty

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does dirty mean?

1. adjectiveCovered with dirt, dust, or grime; not clean.
2. adjectiveDishonest, unfair, or obscene in nature.

Dirty in a sentence

• The mechanic wiped his dirty hands on a rag before lunch.

• The rival firm resorted to dirty tactics to win the contract.

• A pile of dirty dishes sat in the kitchen sink overnight.

• He was disqualified for a dirty challenge during the match.

Where does dirty come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

The word dirty grew out of the noun dirt, which itself reaches back to the Old Norse word 'drit', meaning excrement or dung. Middle English carried this as 'drit', and through a common process called metathesis, where the order of sounds is swapped, the form shifted to 'dirt'. The adjective dirty appeared in the late 1300s, originally meaning 'muddy' or 'covered in mire' before broadening to mean unclean in general. Over the centuries it gathered figurative senses too, describing dishonest dealings, indecent language, and unpleasant weather. The spelling is straightforward once you remember it is simply dirt plus -y, with the final t of dirt staying single.

How the word is built

• dirt (filth, soil)
• -y (adjective suffix meaning 'characterised by')