raunch
[rawnch, rahnch]
- smuttiness or vulgarity; crudeness; obscenity: porno magazines and other purveyors of raunch.
- slovenliness; grubbiness.
- an earthy, raw musical style derived from blues and gospel: a singer who can go easily from raunch to rock.
Origin of raunch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for raunch
Contemporary Examples
Stanley Crouch on the lacy French Open outfit that rocked the tennis world—and the culture of raunch it came out of.
raunch
- lack of polish or refinement; crudeness
- mainly US slovenliness or untidiness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for raunch
n.
1963 (in "Billboard," describing lead guitar on surf music tracks), back-formation from raunchy. There was a singing group in U.S. c.1960 called the Raunch Hands.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper