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ruck1

[ruhk]
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noun
  1. a large number or quantity; mass.
  2. the great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things.
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Origin of ruck1

1175–1225; Middle English ruke, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian ruka in same senses; akin to rick1

ruck2

[ruhk]
noun
  1. a fold or wrinkle; crease.
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verb (used with or without object)
  1. to make or become creased or wrinkled.
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Origin of ruck2

First recorded in 1780–90, ruck is from the Old Norse word hrukka a wrinkle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ruck

Historical Examples

  • He's head and shoulders above the ruck of black-and-white artists.

    The Mystery of Murray Davenport

    Robert Neilson Stephens

  • I advertised myself, and made the ruck get out of my way, as I told you before.

    People of Position

    Stanley Portal Hyatt

  • But it's different for you and me, Jimmy Grierson, because we're not in the ruck.

    People of Position

    Stanley Portal Hyatt

  • Why, how are you to get out of this ruck now, when it begins to move?

  • And—I was under the impression that you married me because you found me different from the ruck.

    The Dop Doctor

    Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

British Dictionary definitions for ruck

ruck1

noun
  1. a large number or quantity; mass, esp of ordinary or undistinguished people or things
  2. (in a race) a group of competitors who are well behind the leaders at the finish
  3. rugby a loose scrum that forms around the ball when it is on the ground
  4. Australian rules football the three players, two ruckmen and a rover, that do not have fixed positions but follow the ball closely
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verb
  1. (intr) rugby to try to win the ball by advancing over it when it is on the ground, driving opponents backward in the process
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Word Origin

C13 (meaning ``heap of firewood''): perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hraukr rick 1

ruck2

noun
  1. a wrinkle, crease, or fold
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verb
  1. (usually foll by up) to become or make wrinkled, creased, or puckered
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Word Origin

C18: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse hrukka

ruck3

noun
  1. prison slang a fight
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Word Origin

C20: short for ruckus

ruck4

noun
  1. military slang a rucksack
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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