rascal
A dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.
Adjective
- Low; lowly, part of or belonging to the common rabble.
Origin
Recorded since c.1330, as Middle English rascaile (“people of the lowest class, rabble of an army”), derived from 12th century Old French rascaille (“outcast, rabble”) (modern French racaille), perhaps from rasque (“mud, filth, scab, dregs”), from Vulgar Latin *rasicō (“to scrape”). The singular form is first attested in 1461; the present extended sense of "low, dishonest person" is from early 1586.
Forms
Derived
Noun
- A dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.
- Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that...
- And he smote Corinius on his shaven jowl with the dice box, calling him cheat and mangy rascal, whereupon Corinius drew forth a bodkin to smite him in the neck withal; […] - 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm...
- A cheeky person or creature; a troublemaker.
- That little rascal bit me!
- If you have deer in the area, you may have to put a fence around your garden to keep the rascals out.
- A member of a criminal gang.
Forms
Synonyms
Derived
berascal fat rascal rascaldom rascaless rascalism rascalize rascallike rascalship rascal stew wraprascal