Definition
Something that is unstable, shaky, and likely to break or fall apart because it's old or poorly made.
Etymology
Comes from the word 'rickets,' a childhood disease that weakens bones, first used in the 1600s. The adjective developed because people with rickets were unsteady and wobbly, and the term transferred to describe any rickety or unstable object.
Kelly Says
Rickety is basically what happens when something has 'linguistic rickets'—just as the disease weakens bones, the word describes objects that have become weak and unreliable over time. It's a brilliant metaphor that let people describe anything shaky without needing a whole new word.
Translations
AFAfrikaans
wankelrig
wankelrig
BGБългарски
разклатен
разклатен
CACatalà
tremolós
tremolós
DADansk
vaklende
vaklende
DEDeutsch
wackelig
wackelig
ELΕλληνικά
ασταθής
ασταθής
ESEspañol
desvencijado
desvencijado
EUEuskara
kulunka
kulunka
FRFrançais
branlant
branlant
IDBahasa Indonesia
reot
reot
ITItaliano
traballante
traballante
LTLietuvių
kūdravas
kūdravas
LVLatviešu
nedrošs
nedrošs
MNМонгол
тогтворгүй
тогтворгүй
MSBahasa Melayu
goyang
goyang
MYမြန်မာ
လှုပ်ယမ်း
လှုပ်ယမ်း
NLNederlands
wankel
wankel
NONorsk
vaklende
vaklende
PLPolski
chwiejny
chwiejny
PTPortuguês
tremido
tremido
SKSlovenčina
vratký
vratký
SLSlovenščina
nestabilen
nestabilen
SVSvenska
vacklande
vacklande
SWKiswahili
dhaifu
dhaifu
TEతెలుగు
అస్థిరమైన
అస్థిరమైన
UKУкраїнська
хиткий
хиткий
VITiếng Việt
lung lay
lung-lay