Middle English Dictionary Entry
ragged(e adj.
Entry Info
Forms | ragged(e adj. Also ragget, raggeth, raged, ragut & reaggeth. |
Etymology | From rag(ge n. & ON: cp. OI raggaðr ppl. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. rugged adj. & raggi adj.
1.
(a) Of clothing, garments: tattered, ragged; also fig.; (b) of persons, bodily parts: wearing tattered clothes, covered with rags; (c) of persons, bodily parts: torn, lacerated.
Associated quotations
a
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)412 : Mi sleue is raggid.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)15.220 : I haue seyne charite..Ryden and rennen in ragged wedes.
- c1400 *Bk.Mother (Bod 416)128/23 : Þei schulden seie to hemself wiþ here ragged arai: 'Fy auaunt, ragenelis!'
- a1425(c1300) NHom.(1) Alex.(Ashm 42)155 : Full raggid and riuen wase his clathis.
- ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)381/21 : Thanne schalt þou caste þi foule raggid coote into þe erþe, & þou schalt renne, wiþ þi wedding coote..for to opene þe gate of heuene.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)13525 : Pirrus..Toke a Roket full rent & Ragget aboue.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)223/26 : Sho had nothyng on hur head bod revyn clothis & raggid.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)600/21 : Paniceus: ragged.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)4343 : He dede of his ragyd garment.
b
- c1390 Hilton ML (Vrn)272 : Þou art bisy to worschipe his hed..& array hit fayre..but þou leuest his bodi, his armes, & his feet al ragged & rent.
- c1450 Earth(3) (Lamb 853)15/30 : Now gooþ erþe upon erþe, ruli raggid and rent.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.A.2232 : Better it were to goo ragged in an olde cote Than to leese that precious Iuell, his name.
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)6930 : A man had leuere ȝeue mede To hir þat is clenly dight Þan to a pouere ragged wight.
c
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)421 : Raggyd..laceratus.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)1931 : To Golyas I make avow For to schetyn ȝone iche skowte On hyr ars, raggyd and row.
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)363/120 : On roode am I ragged and rente, Þou synfull sawle, for thy sake.
2.
(a) Of animals, their tails, the devil, fiends: shaggy; as noun: the devil; also in proverb; (b) of trees, plants, etc.: scraggly, shaggy, ?rambling.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 Body & S.(5) (LdMisc 108)p.57 : Thei [devils] weren ragged, roue, and tayled.
- c1325 Songs Langtoft (ArmsAr 14)p.395 : The devel I them bikenne, that ragged sit in helle.
- a1425 Arth.& M.(LinI 150)1587 : Þe whyte dragoun lay him by..His tayl was ragged as a feond.
- a1425 KAlex.(LinI 150)680 : His men him brouȝt by achayn Agrisly best, aragged [Ld: rugged] colt.
- a1425 KAlex.(LinI 150)4433 : He sleþ doun riȝt so araggid wolf.
- (1440) Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)2765 : Awey þou Sathan, awey þou raggid brere!
- c1450 Dc.Prov.(Dc 52)p.53 : Of a raggud colte comes a gode hors.
- c1450 Ladd Y the daunce (Cai 383/603)p.308 : We haddun yserued the reaggeth deuel of helle.
- c1475 Rwl.Prov.(Rwl D.328)p.121 : Of a raggyd clote [read: colte] comyth a good horse.
- c1450(a1375) Octav.(2) (Clg A.2)839 : Þey..segh þat fole, Raggeth & hegh.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)75/337 : The ragyd! the dwyll! sytt thay in peasse?
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)77/414 : Help! the raggyd dwyll, we drowne!
- ?a1500 Knight & W.(Ashm 61)295 : Þe fendys..wend in a throw..Some were ragyd & longe-tayled.
b
- c1390 Susan.(Vrn)112 : Columbyne and Charuwe clottes þei creue, With Ruwe and Rubarbe, Ragget ariht.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.1509 : That was to day a ragged tre, To morwe..Stant in the temple wel besein.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)745 : Þe hasel & þe haȝ-þorne were harled al samen, With roȝe raged mosse rayled ay-where.
3.
(a) Of rocks, stones: jagged, rough, coarse; of places: rugged in terrain; also fig.; (b) of jewels: ?rough, uncut; (c) of nails: blunt; (d) of an animal's teeth, back, etc.: jagged, notched; (e) of a plant, its root, stock: rough, spiky, thorny; of a staff: covered with stubs; also fig.; (f) of leaves: lobed, serrated, dentate; (g) as noun: the rough part of something, roughness; (h) of thoughts: unpolished.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)171a/a : Spelunca is a place vndir erþe..liȝte and bishyned in þe entree..and roughe and ragged [L locus..hispidus] in þe oute goyng.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)12559 : After a syde of the sea..Was a-party a prouynse..With roches full rogh, ragget with stones.
- ?c1475 Direct.Sailing in Hak.Soc.79 (Lnsd 285)21 : Opyn Lesarde is grete stone as it were benys, and it is raggid stoon.
- a1500(?a1400) Torrent (Chet 8009)194 : At the fot of the movnteyn Ther lay a gret Ragyd ston.
- a1500 Our shyp (Dub 516)31 : For ragged rokkes he woll not lette, To sterre in ebbe and eke in tyde.
b
- (1439) Liber Scac.in Archaeol.2136 : Upon eche of ye same ouches ys a grete baleys..of whiche balys vij beth of entaill square, and iij of hem beth rounde and ragged.
c
- c1390 Chart.Abbey HG (Vrn)360 : Þei toke a blont rouh ragged nayl..hou þat raggede nayl craschte among þe harde bones!
- a1400 Ancr.(Pep 2498)127/5 : Þe nayles weren ragged [Corp-C: dulle] biforen, for hij weren of a wommanes makyng.
- a1500 Treat.GBattle (Hrl 1706)426 : [Christ's] armes were spredde abrode..and hys hondys smytene thorowe with raggede nayles to the tre.
d
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)5133 : Ȝit sall I send ȝow..Rynoseros, a roghe best with ragged tyndis.
- a1500 *Let.Alex.(Wor F.172)328 : A newe kynde of devourers wenten out with ragged backes.
e
- (1386) RParl.FM (C&D)36/96 : It sheweth wel the rote of hem is a ragged subiect or stok inward, that is the forsaid Brere or brembre.
- c1390 Susan.(Vrn)72 : Heo greiþed hire til hire gardin..Þer lyndes and lorers were lent vpon lone..Þe rose ragged on rys.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)10.124 : Riȝt as a rose..Out of a raggit [vr. ragged] rote and a rouȝ brere Springeþ..So dobest out of dobet & dowel gynneþ springe.
- c1460 Awake lordes (Dub 432)33 : Som þat were þe ragged bottis Had lever were þe stafford knottis.
f
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)209a/b : Some [trees] haueþ cloue and ragged [L scissa] leues.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)253b/b : Leues of þe vyne ben..cloue and ragged [L intercisa] in þe vtter side.
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)132/7 : Argentille..haȝt smale lewys..and with-owtyn þei ben raggyd.
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)194 : Carui leues ben ragged.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)310/1022 : Þis wodbynd leues be nat ragut, but they bene like a mannys hert.
g
- ?c1225 Ancr.(Cleo C.6)209/21fn. : Þe file fret of þe irn þe rust & tet ragget & Makeð hit hwit & smeðe.
h
- c1450 ?C.d'Orl.Poems (Hrl 682)141/4203 : Beware or hope do yow bigyle, Suche raggid thoughtis from yow fil.
4.
As surname.
Associated quotations
- (1197) Feet Fines Rich.I in Pipe R.Soc.2466 : Ricardus le Raggede.
- (1276) Hundred R.Tower 1127 : Thomas le Ragged.
- (1332) Sub.R.War.in Dugd.Soc.670 : John le Raggede.