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raucous - 6 dictionary results
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rau⋅cous

  [raw-kuhs]
Use raucous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. harsh; strident; grating: raucous voices; raucous laughter.
2. rowdy; disorderly: a raucous party.
Origin:
1760–70; < L raucus hoarse, harsh, rough; see -ous

Related forms:
rau⋅cous⋅ly, adverb
rau⋅cous⋅ness, rau⋅ci⋅ty  [raw-si-tee] , noun

Synonyms:
1. rough, jarring, raspy.

Antonyms:
1. soft, mellow, dulcet.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To raucous
rau·cous   (rô'kəs)   
adj.  
  1. Rough-sounding and harsh: raucous laughter.
  2. Boisterous and disorderly: "the raucous give and take of American democracy" (Charles Kuralt).

[From Latin raucus.]
rau'cous·ly adv., rau'cous·ness, rau'ci·ty (rô'sĭ-tē) n.
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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Main Entry:  raucous1
Part of Speech:  adj
Definition:  rough; hoarse
Etymology:  Latin raucus 'hoarse'
Main Entry:  raucous2
Part of Speech:  adj
Definition:  boisterous and disorderly
Etymology:  Latin raucus 'hoarse'
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2009 Dictionary.com, LLC
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Language Translation for : raucous
Spanish: ronco,
German: heiser,
Japanese: しわがれ声の
More Translations »

Raucous

Rau"cous\, a. [L. raucus.] Hoarse; harsh; rough; as, a raucous, thick tone. "His voice slightly raucous." --Aytoun. -- Rau"cous*ly, adv.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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raucous 
1769, from L. raucus "hoarse," related to ravus "hoarse," from PIE echoic base *reu- "make hoarse cries" (cf. Skt. rayati "barks," ravati "roars;" Gk. oryesthai "to howl, roar;" L. racco "a roar;" O.C.S. rjevo "I roar;" Lith. rekti "roar;" O.E. rarian "to wail, bellow"). M.E. had rauc, in the same sense, from the same source.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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