Where does “ragtag” come from?
ragtag (English) comes from English tag-rag, from English rag, from Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg, from Old Norse rǫgg, from Proto-Germanic rūhaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rewk-, from Proto-Indo-European h₃er- — to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,...
ragtag (English): Unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair; Very...
Definitions
- Unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair; Very...
Ancestry of “ragtag”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | tag-rag | The lowest class of people; the rabble |
| 2 | English | rag | Tattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a... |
| 3 | Middle English | ragge | rag, cloth scrap; cloth strip, band of fabric;... |
| 4 | Old English | ragg | — |
| 5 | Old Norse | rǫgg | shagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rūhaz | rough |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rewk- | to dig; to till |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃er- | to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,... |