Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that is playfully mischievous.
  • noun An unscrupulous, dishonest person; a scoundrel.
  • adjective Made up of, belonging to, or relating to the lower classes.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The commonalty of people; the vulgar herd; the general mass.
  • noun In hunting, a refuse or despicable beast or class of beasts; an animal, or animals collectively, unfit to chase or to kill, on account of ignoble quality or lean condition; especially, a lean deer.
  • noun A low or vulgar person; one of the rabble; a boor or churl.
  • noun A low or mean fellow; a tricky, dishonest person; a rogue; a knave; a scamp: used in objurgation with much latitude, and often, like rogue, with slight meaning. Compare rascally.
  • Paltry; worthless; unworthy of consideration; in a special use, unfit for the chase, as a lean deer: used of things or animals.
  • Low; mean; base; common; ignoble; vulgar; knavish: used of persons, formerly with reference to class or occupation, but now only with an implication of moral baseness or dishonesty.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the common herd or common people; low; mean; base.
  • noun obsolete One of the rabble; a low, common sort of person or creature; collectively, the rabble; the common herd; also, a lean, ill-conditioned beast, esp. a deer.
  • noun A mean, trickish fellow; a base, dishonest person; a rogue; a scoundrel; a trickster.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Someone who is naughty; either playfully mischievous or a troublemaker, a dishonest person, a scoundrel.
  • noun A member of a criminal gang in Papua New Guinea.
  • adjective archaic low(ly), part of or belonging to the common rabble

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun one who is playfully mischievous
  • noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English rascaile, rabble, commoners, from Old French rascaille, probably from rasque, mud, from Vulgar Latin *rāsicāre, to scrape; see rash.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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.

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Examples

  • JUST as the Hopkinsons had finished breakfast the following morning, they were surprised by an early visit from Willis, who seemed to be in a state of unusual excitement; and instead of the congratulations they had expected, he burst out with something like an oath, adding, And the rascal is actually gone – went off while the dancing was going on; the police were waiting for him at the station, but I suppose he had good intelligence, for he got into a steamer, and has not been heard of since.

    The Semi-Detached House 1859

  • The rascal is greedy as a Badaw and moreover he is a liar, which the

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • So he told him what had befallen him and added, If I know whither the rascal is gone and where to find the knave, I would pay him out.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • | Reply that rascal is fixing me good whenever i look at this picture

    EXTRALIFE – By Scott Johnson - From VCR to cat feeder 2005

  • The young rascal is a girl in boy's clothes, sir! said the officer who had the culprit in custody.

    The Hidden Hand 1888

  • My uncle started at the word rascal; and then recovering himself, replied, "Well, nephew, what is it that you require of Lord Privilege, for I presume this visit is not without a cause?"

    Peter Simple; and, The Three Cutters, Vol. 1-2 Frederick Marryat 1820

  • My uncle started at the word rascal; and then recovering himself, replied, "Well, nephew what is it that you require of Lord Privilege, for I presume this visit is not without a cause?"

    Peter Simple Frederick Marryat 1820

  • He could not however bridle his tongue -- he pronounced the word rascal with great emphasis; said he deserved to be hanged more than a highwayman, and wished he had the scourging him.

    Joseph Andrews, Volume 2 Henry Fielding 1730

  • Rob Anderscal - This "rascal" - as the name implies - is a trouble-maker extraordinaire.

    Liblogs.ca latest blog entries 2008

  • That is what dignity does for you, you rascal, that is dignity! ...

    The Double 2003

Comments

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  • Hello darkness my old friend it breaks my heart

    I’ve come to strangle you in spite of what you’d like

    And don’t be a rascal, don’t be a laughing dog in spite of odds

    All I’m deciphering from the spirits in the light within

    All delighted people raise their hands

    ("All delighted people", by Sufjan Stevens)

    March 8, 2011