Meanings
- countableA scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation.
- countableA slaughterhouse.
- archaiccountableA butcher's shop.
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 10:251 more example
As to our City of Dublin, Shambles may be appointed for this purpoſe, in the moſt convenient parts of it, and Butchers vve may be aſſured vvill not be vvanting, […]
1729, [Jonathan Swift], A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents, or the Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, Dublin: […] S[arah] Harding, […], →OCLC, page 8
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of shamble
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna building where animals are butchered
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinscamnum“bench, ridge, breadth of a field”
- Latinscamillum“little bench, ridge”
- Vulgar Latinscamellum
- Proto-West Germanic*skamul
- Old Englishsċeamol
- Middle Englishschamels
- Englishshambles
From Middle English schamels, plural of schamel, from Old English sċeamol, sċamul (“bench, stool”), from Proto-West Germanic *skamul, *skamil (“stool, bench”), from Vulgar Latin scamellum, from Latin scamillum (“little bench, ridge”), from Latin scamnum (“bench, ridge, breadth of a field”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech nepořádek, chaos
- nepořádekscene of great disorder or ruin
- chaosscene of great disorder or ruin
- nepořádekgreat mess or clutter
- binecgreat mess or clutter
- jatkaslaughterhouse
Danish rodebutik, slagtehus
- rodebutikgreat mess or clutter
- slagtehusscene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- slagtehusslaughterhouse
French fouillis, capharnaüm
- fouillisscene of great disorder or ruin
- capharnaümgreat mess or clutter
- bordelgreat mess or clutter
- chienlitgreat mess or clutter
German Durcheinander, Tohuwabohu
- Durcheinanderscene of great disorder or ruin
- Tohuwabohuscene of great disorder or ruin
- Schlachtfeldscene of great disorder or ruin
- Trümmerhaufenscene of great disorder or ruin
- Durcheinandergreat mess or clutter
- Chaosgreat mess or clutter
- Scherbenhaufengreat mess or clutter
- Saustallgreat mess or clutter
- Schlachtfeldscene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- Schlachthausslaughterhouse
- Fleischereibutcher’s shop
- Fleischhauerbutcher’s shop
Hungarian zűrzavar, rendetlenség
- zűrzavarscene of great disorder or ruin
- rendetlenséggreat mess or clutter
- összevisszasággreat mess or clutter
- pusztulásscene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- romhalmazscene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- vágóhídslaughterhouse
- mészárszékbutcher’s shop
Irish cosair chró
- cosair chróscene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
Japanese 落花狼藉, 大混乱
- 落花狼藉 (rakkarouzeki)scene of great disorder or ruin
- 大混乱 (daikonran)great mess or clutter
- 修羅の巷 (syura no chimata)scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- 屠所 (tosho)slaughterhouse
- 畜殺場 (chikusatsuba)slaughterhouse
Korean 도축장
- 도축장 (dochukjang)slaughterhouse
Māori kaumingomingo, kūnakunaku
- kaumingomingoscene of great disorder or ruin
- kūnakunakuscene of great disorder or ruin
- kūnakunakugreat mess or clutter
Portuguese bagunça total, matadouro
- bagunça totalgreat mess or clutter
- matadouroslaughterhouse
Russian разру́ха, руи́ны
- разру́ха (razrúxa)scene of great disorder or ruin
- руи́ны (ruíny)scene of great disorder or ruin
- разва́лины (razváliny)scene of great disorder or ruin
- неразбери́ха (nerazberíxa)great mess or clutter
- беспоря́док (besporjádok)great mess or clutter
- каварда́к (kavardák)great mess or clutter
- барда́к (bardák)great mess or clutter
- пу́таница (pútanica)great mess or clutter
- бедла́м (bedlám)great mess or clutter
- бо́йня (bójnja)scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
- бо́йня (bójnja)slaughterhouse
- скотобо́йня (skotobójnja)slaughterhouse
Scottish Gaelic margadh na feòla
- margadh na feòlabutcher’s shop
Spanish ruinas, destartalado
- ruinasscene of great disorder or ruin
- destartaladoscene of great disorder or ruin
- mataderoslaughterhouse
- carniceríabutcher’s shop
Swedish röra
- röragreat mess or clutter
Thai เละเทะ, เละตุ้มเป๊ะ
- เละเทะ (lé-té)great mess or clutter
- เละตุ้มเป๊ะ (lé-dtûm-bpé)great mess or clutter
Cite this entry
shambles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shambles
“shambles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shambles. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shambles,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shambles.
Source: shambles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.