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Added 9 October 2026

rugged

/ˈɹʌɡ.ɪd/ adjective

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

Sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring.
with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture
Having long narrow shallow depressions (as grooves or wrinkles) in the surface.
furrowed fields
Topographically very uneven.
broken terrain

Origin

From Middle English rugged, roggyd, ruggyd, derived from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft, shagginess”), equivalent to rug (“rough, woollen material”) + -ed. Compare Old Swedish ruggoter (“wrinkled”), Swedish rugga (“to roughen”), Swedish ruggig (“shaggy”), Icelandic rögg (“shagginess”), Old Norse raggaðr (“tufted”), dialectal Danish raggad (“shaggy”).

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

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