• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “shambles” come from and What does shambles mean?

Where does the word “shambles” come from and What does shambles mean?

May 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

In its earliest sense in our language a shamble, although then spelled scomul, meant a stool.

By a roundabout course it had come from the Latin scamellum, a little bench. From stool, shamble became the name of the bench, table, or stall where meat was sold.

Then, although after the fifteenth century always spelled in plural form, through the constant association of shambles with the blood of meat, the meaning was extended to cover the place where animals were slaughtered for meat.

From this its meaning was further extended figuratively to any place of bloody slaughter, especially a place of widespread carnage, such as a battlefield.

But, because battles are usually accompanied by wholesale destruction, the word shambles acquired a still further figurative sense in World War II, when it was often used to designate the scenes of destruction brought about by the bombing of cities.

In the latter application blood or bloodshed is no longer essentially attached to the word, as it was for many centuries.

Related Facts

  • Where does the word "Shambles" come from and What does Shambles mean in Latin?
  • What does the word "gauntlet" mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
  • What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word "incubus" come from?
  • Where does the word "Toilet" come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
  • What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Clock" Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How did the word “shagreen” (chagrin) originate and What does shagreen mean in French?
Next Post: Where does the word “robe” come from and What does robe mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy