Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rags” come from?

Rags comes from Middle English ragged, from Old Norse raggaðr, from Proto-Germanic rawwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rewk-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃er-.

rags (English): plural of rag; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of rag; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “rags”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishragTattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a...
2Middle Englishraggerag, cloth scrap; cloth strip, band of fabric;...
3Old Englishragg—
4Old Norserǫggshagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;...
5Proto-Germanicrūhazrough
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rewk-to dig; to till
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃er-to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,...

Words derived from “rags”

  • rhacs
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃er- →