Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “raffle” come from?

Raffle comes from Middle English rafle, from Old French rafle and the verb rafler, from Frankish raffolōn, from Proto-Germanic hrapōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots (s)kreb(h)-, (s)ker-, and sek- meaning to scratch or cut.

raffle (English): A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which...

Definitions

  1. A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which...

Ancestry of “raffle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrafle—
2Old Frenchrafle—
3Old Frenchraflerto snatch, seize, carry off; to plunder
4Frankishraffolōn—
5Proto-Germanichrapōnąto scratch, scrape; to graze, make contact ,...
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kreb(h)-—
7Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “raffle”

  • raffler
  • chook raffle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →