PALTRY

[pal.try] adj pal.tri.er ; -est [obs. paltry trash, fr. dial. palt, pelt piece of coarse cloth, trash; akin to MLG palte rag] (1570) 1: inferior, trashy

2: mean, despicable

3: trivial

4: meager, measly "made a ~ donation" -- pal.tri.ness n