rascal

English

Etymology

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 *rasicare (“to scrape”). The singular form is first attested in 1461; the present extended sense of "low, dishonest person" is from early 1586.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɹæs.kəl/, SAMPA: /"r\{s.k@l/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

rascal (plural rascals)

1. Someone who is naughty; either playfully mischievous or a troublemaker, a dishonest person, a scoundrel.

   If you have deer in the area, you may have to put a fence around your garden to keep the rascals out.

Synonyms

• (someone who is naughty): devil, imp, mischief-maker, scamp, scoundrel
• See also Wikisaurus:villain
• See also Wikisaurus:troublemaker

Translations

someone who is naughty

Croatian: lupež (hr) m. Dutch: bengel (nl) m., rakker (nl) m., rekel (nl) m., vlegel (nl) m. Finnish: riiviö, ilkiö, raskali, hulivili (fi), vintiö (fi) French: fripouille (fr) f., canaille (fr) f., crapule (fr) f. German: Bengel (de) m. Hindi: दुष्ट (hi) (duṣṭa) Japanese: 野郎 (ja) (やろう, yarō)

Latin: furcifer (la) Polish: łajdak m., łotr m., szubrawiec m. Portuguese: patife m. Romanian: mișel (ro), ticălos (ro) Russian: негодник (ru) (negódnik) m., плут (ru) (plut) m., шельмец (ru) (šelméc) m. Scottish Gaelic: slaightear (gd) m. Spanish: canalla (es)

Adjective

rascal (comparative more rascal, superlative most rascal)

1. (archaic) low(ly), part of or belonging to the common rabble

Translations

part of the common rabble

Dutch: gemeen, ordinair, vulgair French: ordinaire (fr)

Polish: hołota (plural only)

Derived terms

• rascality
• rascally
• rascalry

Anagrams

• lascar
• sacral
• scalar

External links

• Rascal in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.