Etymology: Origin uncertain: see paltry adj. and discussion at that entry. N.E.D. (1904) gives the pronunciation as (pǭ·ltri) /ˈpɔːltrɪ/.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Apparently related to paltry n. and palting adj., and also (although with unexplained variation in the vowel) to peltry adj., peltry n.², pelting adj.¹, and pelt n.³, but the relationships among these words are very unclear. main sense could perhaps immediately be < paltry n. (compare trumpery n. and adj.), but the reverse is also possible. Probably ultimately a borrowing from another Germanic language (and if so probably originally showing pal- rather than pel-); compare West Frisian palten patches in clothing, early modern Dutch palt piece, fragment (1588; Dutch palt rag, piece, bit), Middle Low German palte piece, cloth, German regional (Low German) Palt, Pult, Pulte (chiefly in plural, Palten, Pulten) fragment, piece, rag, piece of cloth, Palten clod, Palter lump, block, Norwegian regional pjaltre, early modern Danish, Danish regional palt, Danish pjalt (normally in plural, pjalter) rag, Old Swedish palta (plural) rags, Swedish palta (normally in plural, paltor) rag, and also Middle Low German polterlappen rag, and the adjectives West Frisian palterich repaired with patches, Dutch palterig ragged, untidy, patched, German regional (Low German) paltrig, palterig, pulterig in tatters. The relationships among these words both within and between the various languages are very uncertain, and the further etymology is unknown.J. F. Bense ( Dict. Low-Dutch Element in Eng. Vocab. (1939) at pelt) suggests that pelt n.³ (and hence peltry adj., peltry n.², and pelting adj.¹) may ultimately show an independent origin as a borrowing of early modern Dutch pelt (variant of pels skin, ultimately < post-classical Latin pellicia pelisse n.) in a spec. sense ‘tattered or worn out cloth’, which later became influenced in sense by association with the group of words in pal- , but this does not accord well with the relative dates shown by the words in this group within English. Connection of any of this group of words with pelt v.³ also seems unlikely. Among the group of words in pal-, the apparent simplex palt is not attested in the early modern period, but its reflex may perhaps be shown in the 19th cent. by English regional (Northamptonshire) palt, pault:1851 T. Sternberg Dial. & Folk-lore Northants. (at cited word) The refuse of corn that rises to the top of the sieve after reeing, is also termed palt.1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 91 Palt, refuse, rubbish; foul, and unproductive land, that is covered with weeds, is said to be full of squitch and palt. N.E.D. (1904) gives only the pronunciation (pǭ·ltri) /ˈpɔːltrɪ/.