Standard Lemma guide

scaly

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈskeɪli/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪli

1

adj

Meaning 1

Covered or abounding with scales.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a scaly fish a scaly stem

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: squamulose

Antonyms: scaleless, esquamulose

2

adj

Meaning 2

Composed of scales lying over each other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a scaly bulb

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Resembling scales, laminae, or layers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

low, mean.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Africa, dated, vulgar

Examples

  • a scaly fellow

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The scaly yellowfish (Labeobarbus natalensis).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Africa

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

having the body covered or partially covered with thin horny plates, as some fish and reptiles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scaley, scaled

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lepidote, leprose, scabrous, scurfy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English scali, skaly. By surface analysis, scale + -y.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُحَرْشَف (muḥaršaf) — covered or abounding with scales
  • Arabic: حَرْشَفِيّ (ḥaršafiyy) — covered or abounding with scales
  • Bulgarian: люспест (ljuspest) — covered or abounding with scales
  • Catalan: escamós — covered or abounding with scales
  • Czech: šupinatý — covered or abounding with scales
  • Czech: šupinový — covered or abounding with scales
  • Dutch: geschubd — covered or abounding with scales
  • Esperanto: skvama — covered or abounding with scales
  • French: écailleux — covered or abounding with scales
  • German: schuppig — covered or abounding with scales
  • Ancient Greek: λεπιδωτός (lepidōtós) — covered or abounding with scales
  • Ingrian: soomukas — covered or abounding with scales
  • Latin: squāmeus — covered or abounding with scales
  • Latin: squāmōsus — covered or abounding with scales
  • Latvian: zvīņains — covered or abounding with scales
  • Occitan: escamós — covered or abounding with scales
  • Old English: scilig — covered or abounding with scales
  • Old English: scorfed — covered or abounding with scales
  • Plautdietsch: scheepich — covered or abounding with scales
  • Polish: łuskowaty — covered or abounding with scales
  • Portuguese: escamoso — covered or abounding with scales
  • Romanian: solzos — covered or abounding with scales
  • Romanian: scuamos — covered or abounding with scales
  • Russian: чешу́йчатый (češújčatyj) — covered or abounding with scales
  • Spanish: escamoso — covered or abounding with scales
  • Swedish: fjällig — covered or abounding with scales
  • Welsh: cennog — covered or abounding with scales
  • Dutch: schubachtig — resembling scales, laminae, or layers
  • Polish: łuskowaty — resembling scales, laminae, or layers
  • Russian: чешу́йчатый (češújčatyj) — resembling scales, laminae, or layers
  • Spanish: escuamiforme — resembling scales, laminae, or layers