1547, alteration of racen "pull or knock down" (a building or town), from earlier rasen (14c.) "to scratch, slash, scrape, erase," from O.Fr. raser "to scrape, shave," from M.L. rasare, frequentative of L. radere (pp. rasus) "to scrape, shave," perhaps from PIE *razd- (cf. L. rastrum "rake"), possible