ragged
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English ragged, from North Germanic. Compare with Old Norse rǫgvaðr (“tufted”) and Norwegian ragget (“shaggy”).
Pronunciation
- enPR: răg'ĭd, IPA(key): /ˈɹæɡɪd/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- Rhymes: -æɡɪd
Adjective
ragged (comparative more ragged, superlative most ragged)
- In tatters, having the texture broken.
- a ragged coat
- a ragged sail
- Having rough edges; jagged or uneven
- ragged rocks
- Harsh-sounding; having an unpleasant noise
- 1912, David Herbert Lawrence, chapter 12, in The Trespasser:
- There was a ragged noise of bleating from the flock penned in a corner of the yard. Two red-armed men seized a sheep, hauled it to a large bath that stood in the middle of the yard, and there held it, more or less in the bath, whilst a third man baled a dirty yellow liquid over its body.
- Wearing tattered clothes.
- a ragged person
- 1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 84:
- She ran to the door and there beheld the ragged street urchin calmly playing his organ.
- Rough; shaggy; rugged.
- 1969, “The Boxer”, in Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel (music), Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records:
- Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
- Faulty; lacking in skill, reliability, or organization.
- 2010, Dall Wilson, Alice Nielsen and the Gayety of Nations, →ISBN, page 318:
- Now I realize how ridiculous and almost impertinent it was to expect New Yorkers to accept such a ragged performance for they have always demanded the best and do not tolerate the second-rate."
- 2013, William J. Taylor, Eric T. Olson, Richard A. Schrader, Defense Manpower Planning: Issues for the 1980s, →ISBN, page 219:
- Despite the apparent general viability of the AVF its ragged performance serves to motivate serious questions concerning its future viability, the quality of the defense that we are buying, and the AVF's effect on our nation and society.
- (music) Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
- (computing) Of a data structure: having uneven levels.
Derived terms
Translations
rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken
|
broken with rough edges
|
wearing tattered clothes
|
Etymology 2
From rag.
Pronunciation
- enPR: răgd, IPA(key): /ɹæɡd/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- Rhymes: -æɡd
Middle English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈraɡid/
Descendants
- English: ragged
- Scots: raggit
References
- “ragged(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-02.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.