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ragtag

 - 3 dictionary results

rag⋅tag

  [rag-tag]
Use ragtag in a Sentence
–adjective
1. ragged or shabby; disheveled.
2. made up of mixed, often diverse, elements: a ragtag crowd.
Origin:
1880–85; rag 1 + tag 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ragtag
rag·tag   (rāg'tāg')   
adj.  

  1. Shaggy or unkempt; ragged.

  2. Diverse and disorderly in appearance or composition: "They're a small ragtag army of racketeers, bandits, and murderers" (Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ragtag 
1820, from rag (n.) + tag; originally in expression rag-tag and bobtail "the rabble" (tag-rag and bobtail is found in 1659), from bobtail "cur," 1619. Tag and rag was "very common in 16-17th c." [OED]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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