shack C2+ Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction US /ʃæk/ UK /ʃæk/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like sack /s/ vs /ʃ/ Sounds like sacque /s/ vs /ʃ/ Meanings 1 noun a roughly built hut or cabin They sheltered in a tin-roofed shack by the river. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a roughly built hut or cabin hutcabinshantyhovelshedlean-to ↔ Opposites mansionpalace Word family Derived forms shackful Related forms ramshackle Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin, first attested in 19th-century American English; possibly a back-formation from ramshackle, or from Mexican Spanish jacal ('hut'), from Nahuatl xacalli ('adobe hut'). Topics Tools, Machines & Construction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # shack **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ʃæk/ **IPA (UK):** /ʃæk/ ## Meanings 1. a roughly built hut or cabin ## Examples - They sheltered in a tin-roofed shack by the river. ## Synonyms - hut - cabin - shanty - hovel - shed - lean-to ## Antonyms - mansion - palace ## Derived Forms - shackful ## Related Forms - ramshackle ## Etymology Of uncertain origin, first attested in 19th-century American English; possibly a back-formation from ramshackle, or from Mexican Spanish jacal ('hut'), from Nahuatl xacalli ('adobe hut'). ## AI Etymology Shack is of uncertain origin, first attested in 19th-century American English; possibly a back-formation from ramshackle, or from Mexican Spanish jacal ('hut'), from Nahuatl xacalli ('adobe hut'). Its formation runs backward from an existing longer form, producing a shorter base that then carries the same family of senses. As a noun and verb, it denotes "a roughly built hut or cabin", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Derivative forms include shackful; related words include ramshackle. ## Topics - Tools, Machines & Construction markdown