Etymology Dictionary

RAG,  a shred of cloth.  (E.)   M. E. ragge, Gower, C. A. i. 100, l. 7.   'A ragged colt' = a shaggy colt, King Alisaunder, 684.   We only find A. S. raggie, adj. rough, shaggy; 'Setosa, raggie,' Mone, Quellen, p. 436. + Swed. ragg, rough hair; cf. raggig, shaggy; Swed. dial. raggi, having rough hair, slovenly; Dan. dial. ragg, rough, uneven hair (Aasen), also raggad, shaggy; Icel. rögg, shagginess; raggaðr, shaggy.   Thus the orig. sense is that of shagginess, hence of untidiness.   Root unknown.   ¶ 1. There is no reason for connecting it with A. S. hracod, torn, which is one of Somner's unauthorised words.   2. The Gael. rag, a rag, may be borrowed; for the true sense of Gael. and Irish rag is straight, rigid, cognate with Swed. rak, straight, upright, and allied to E. Rigid.   3. The resemblance to Gk. ῥάκος, a shred of cloth (from ✔WARK, WRAK, to tear), is also accidental, and proves nothing.   Der. ragg-ed, as above, also applied by Gower to a tree, Conf. Amant. ii. 177; ragg-ed-ly, ragg-ed-ness; rag-stone (a rugged stone); rag-wort, spelt rag-wrote in Levins and in a Glossary (in Cockayne's Leechdoms) apparently of the 15th century.