Clartiest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Most covered in sticky mud or filth, describing the dirtiest thing in a Scots-speaking context
2. Having the greatest amount of muck, mire or grime stuck to a surface, as used in Scottish dialect
3. Superlative form meaning the muddiest or grubbiest of several things, a term common in Scots

Etymology: "Clartiest" is the superlative of "clarty", meaning dirtiest or muddiest, and it is the form of a Scots and northern English word. The base word "clarty" is formed from "clart", a noun for mud, dirt or sticky filth, with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added on, so that "clarty" means covered in clart. The noun "clart" traces back through Middle English and Old English to Proto-Germanic roots that are reconstructed rather than attested directly. Its ancestry runs back to a Proto-Indo-European root, but the word's real life is in the dialects of Scotland and northern England, where it has long been used for sticky, dirty mud. Forming the superlative from "clarty" follows the regular English pattern of "-y" adjectives taking "-iest".

Synonyms: muddiest, dirtiest

Antonyms: cleanest