raggy

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English raggy, from Old English raggiġ; equivalent to rag +‎ -y.

Adjective

raggy (comparative raggier, superlative raggiest)

1. Raglike; like a rag.
2. Scruffy; tending to dress in rags.
3. Similar in style to ragtime music.

Etymology 2

rag +‎ -y, rag being a dialectal (northern England) word for a fog or mist with drizzling rain, related to dialectal Danish rag (“sea vapour”). Compare roke, rawk, from a word for smoke (compare Swedish rök (“smoke”)), which may or may not be related.

Adjective

raggy

1. (dialectal, especially Yorkshire, Lancashire, possibly obsolete) Foggy, misty (and typically cold), with drizzling rain.
   • 1874 (edition of 1879), Waugh, Chim. Corner, page 157:

     It looks a bit rough wi' lyin' out thoose raggy neets.

   • 1892, David Grieve, Ward, III, book IV, vi:

     It's been nobbut raggy weather up o' the moors this winter.

Etymology 3

Noun

raggy (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of ragi (“finger millet”)

Anagrams

• aggry

Middle English

Alternative forms

• raggi

Etymology

From Old English raggiġ; equivalent to ragge +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈraɡiː/

Adjective

raggy

1. ragged; raggy
2. shaggy

Descendants

• English: raggy

References

• “raggī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-02.