Where does “rascally” come from?
Rascally comes from Middle English rascal with the suffix -y, from Middle French rascaille with -ie, from Latin rascallia with -ia, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
rascally (English): Like a rascal; In the manner of a rascal
Definitions
- Like a rascal; In the manner of a rascal
Ancestry of “rascally”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rascal | A dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a... |
| 2 | Middle English | rascaile | people of the lowest class; rabble of an army |
| 3 | Old French | rascaille | rabble; mob |
| 4 | Old French | rasque | mud, filth, scab, dregs |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | rasico | to scrape |
| 6 | Latin | rāsus | scraped, shaved |
| 7 | Latin | rādō | to scrape, shave, scratch |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | razdō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | rh₁d-dʰ- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | reh₁d- | to scrape, scratch, gnaw |