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rakehell

[ reyk-hel ]
/ ˈreɪkˌhɛl /
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noun
a licentious or dissolute man; rake.
adjective
Also rake·hell·y [reyk-hel-ee]. /ˈreɪkˌhɛl i/. dissolute; profligate.
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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

Words nearby rakehell

Rajya Sabha, rakʿa, Rakata, rake, raked, rakehell, rake in, rake-off, rake over the coals, raker, raker tooth
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for rakehell

rakehell
/ (ˈreɪkˌhɛl) archaic /
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
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