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Added 9 October 2026

rag

/ɹæɡ/ noun

In Latin: pannus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rag at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A small piece of cloth or paper.
A week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities.
Music with a syncopated melody (usually for the piano).

verb

Treat cruelly.
The children tormented the stuttering teacher
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations.
Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me
Play in ragtime.
rag that old tune

Origin

From Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, probably related to *rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to rug.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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