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rakehell

[reyk-hel]

noun

a licentious or dissolute man; rake.

adjective

Also rake·hell·y [reyk-hel-ee] /ˈreɪkˌhɛl i/. dissolute; profligate.

Nearby words

  1. rake over the coals,
  2. rake up,
  3. rake's progress, the,
  4. rake-off,
  5. raked,
  6. rakehelly,
  7. raker,
  8. raker tooth,
  9. raki,
  10. raking

Origin of rakehell

1540–50; alteration by folk etymology (see rake1, hell) of Middle English rakel (adj.) rash, rough, coarse, hasty (akin to rake4); compare Old Norse reikall wandering, unsettled
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for rakehell

rakehell

noun

a dissolute man; rake

adjective Also: rakehelly

profligate; dissolute

Word Origin for rakehell

C16: from rake 1 + hell; but compare Middle English rakel rash
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 rakehell

rakehell

n.

1540s, possibly an alteration (by association with rake (n.1) and Hell) of Middle English rakel (adj.) "hasty, rash, headstrong," probably from raken "to go, proceed," from Old English racian "to go forward, move, hasten," of unknown origin. Cf. rakeshame (n.) "one who lives shamefully" (1590s).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper