raddled

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2008 is: raddled • \RAD-uld\ • adjective 1 : being in a state of confusion : lacking composure 2 : broken-down, worn Examples: We were met at the door by a raddled old man who turned out to be the actor's father, and who in his day had also been an estimable presence on the London stage. Did you know? How "raddled" came to mean "old and worn" isn't known for sure, but etymologists have some theories. One possibility is an association with raddle, a red coloring matter that was used to mark animals. From this, "raddled" came to mean "heavily made up with rouge" -- a condition that sometimes causes the makeup wearer to appear older and more haggard instead of more attractive. "Raddled" predates the similar-sounding adjective "rattled," which means "confused or upset" and comes from the verb "rattle." "Raddled" first appeared in print in 1694, and "rattled" didn't appear until the early 1900s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.