## Etymology
Originally 'infected with measles' (from measles, Middle English maseles, of Low German origin), the word came by the 19th century to mean 'contemptibly small or worthless', perhaps by association with something diseased or spotty.

## AI Etymology
Measly is originally 'infected with measles' (from measles, Middle English maseles, of Low German origin), the word came by the 19th century to mean 'contemptibly small or worthless', perhaps by association with something diseased or spotty. Important recorded forms include maseles (Middle English). Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers contemptibly small or meager. The wider family includes derived forms such as measliness and related words such as measles.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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