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rascal

noun
/ˈɹɑːskl̩/UK/ˈɹæskl̩/US

Etymology

Recorded since c.1330, as Middle English rascaile (“people of the lowest class, rabble of an army”), derived from 12th century Old French rascaille (“outcast, rabble”) (modern French racaille), perhaps from rasque (“mud, filth, scab, dregs”), from Vulgar Latin *rasicō (“to scrape”). The singular form is first attested in 1461; the present extended sense of "low, dishonest person" is from early 1586.

  1. derived from *rasicō✻ — “to scrape”
  2. derived from rascaille — “outcast, rabble”
  3. inherited from rascaile — “people of the lowest class, rabble of an army”

Definitions

  1. A dishonest person

    A dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.

    • And he smote Corinius on his shaven jowl with the dice box, calling him cheat and mangy rascal, whereupon Corinius drew forth a bodkin to smite him in the neck withal; […]

  2. A cheeky person or creature

    A cheeky person or creature; a troublemaker.

    • That little rascal bit me!
    • If you have deer in the area, you may have to put a fence around your garden to keep the rascals out.

  3. A member of a criminal gang.

  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. Low

      Low; lowly, part of or belonging to the common rabble.

    2. A surname.

The neighborhood

Derived

berascal, fat rascal, rascaldom, rascaless, rascalism, rascalize, rascallike, rascalship, rascal stew, wraprascal

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for rascal. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA