Where does “rag” come from?
Ragged comes from Middle English ragged, from Old Norse raggaðr, from Proto-Germanic rawwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rewk-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃er-.
rag (English): Tattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a...
Definitions
- Tattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a...
Ancestry of “rag”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ragge | rag, cloth scrap; cloth strip, band of fabric;... |
| 2 | Old English | ragg | — |
| 3 | Old Norse | rǫgg | shagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rūhaz | rough |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rewk- | to dig; to till |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃er- | to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,... |