rakehell

[reyk-hel]

noun

a licentious or dissolute man; rake.

adjective

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

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

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).