Added 10 October 2026
jalopy
/d͡ʒəˈlɒ.pi/ noun
First recorded: 1924 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about jalopy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An old, dilapidated or unpretentious automobile.
Origin
Unknown. Perhaps from Jalapa, Mexico (now Xalapa), to whose scrapyards used cars were often sent from New Orleans starting in the 1920s. First recorded written use in 1924.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)