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rakehell

American  
[rayk-hel] / ˈreɪkˌhɛl /

noun

  1. a licentious or dissolute man; rake.


adjective

  1. Also rakehelly dissolute; profligate.

rakehell British  
/ ˈreɪkˌhɛl /

noun

  1. a dissolute man; rake

"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

adjective

  1. profligate; dissolute

"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

Etymology

Origin of rakehell

1540–50; alteration by folk etymology ( rake 1, hell ) of Middle English rakel (adj.) rash, rough, coarse, hasty (akin to rake 4 ); compare Old Norse reikall wandering, unsettled


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Breakfast with Pauling Agre claims he was a "rakehell" as an adolescent who enjoyed an idyllic childhood in a small town in Minnesota.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 28, 2011

The same woman, Frances Braham, had married both the rakehell Waldegraves.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 23, 2010

It deals with an exclusive Oxford undergraduate dining club, the Riot, named after an 18th century rakehell.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2010

As a founding father of Russian literature, Pushkin behaved more like a rakehell uncle.

From Time Magazine Archive

What else was the stinking rakehell seeking but to put himself right again in the eyes of a town that was nauseated with him and his excesses?

From The Lion's Skin by Rafael Sabatini

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