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You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “rake” originate and What does rake mean?

Where does the word “rake” originate and What does rake mean?

June 6, 2020 by Karen Hill

The dissolute man whom we now speak of as a rake was said to be a rakehell four hundred years ago, and we still sometimes use the older word.

The original term was cynical and figurative.

It came from the thought that one would have to rake hell to find a person so vile as the dissolute scoundrel whose character was under consideration.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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