Where does “roughscuff” come from?

roughscuff (English) comes from English rough, from English ruff, from German Ruf, from Middle High German ruof, from Old High German ruof, from Old High German ruofan, from Proto-West Germanic hrōpan, from Proto-Germanic hrōpaną — army.

roughscuff (English): The lowest class of people; the rabble

Definitions

  1. The lowest class of people; the rabble

Ancestry of “roughscuff”, step by step

roughscuff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English rough

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishroughNot smooth; uneven; Approximate; hasty or...
2EnglishruffA circular frill or ruffle on a garment,...
3GermanRufcall; reputation
4Middle High Germanruof
5Old High Germanruof
6Old High Germanruofanto call
7Proto-West Germanichrōpanto cry out, to call, to shout
8Proto-Germanichrōpanąto cry out, call, shout
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
11Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

via English scuff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscuffTo scrape the feet while walking; To hit lightly,...
2Scotsscuffto touch lightly, graze, hit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker-