Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

rigmarole

 - 3 dictionary results

rig⋅ma⋅role

  [rig-muh-rohl]
Use rigmarole in a Sentence
–noun
1. an elaborate or complicated procedure: to go through the rigmarole of a formal dinner.
2. confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk.
Also, rigamarole.

Origin:
1730–40; alter. of ragman roll
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rigmarole
rig·ma·role   (rĭg'mə-rōl')   
n.  

  1. Confused, rambling, or incoherent discourse; nonsense.

  2. A complicated, petty set of procedures.


[Alteration of obsolete ragman roll, catalog, from Middle English ragmane rolle, scroll used in Ragman, a game of chance : perhaps from Anglo-Norman Ragemon le bon, Ragemon the Good, title of a set of verses about a character of this name + Middle English rolle, list (from Old French, from Latin rotula, wheel; see roll).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

rigmarole 
1736, "a long, rambling discourse," from an altered, Kentish colloquial survival of ragman roll "long list or catalogue" (1523), in M.E. a long roll of verses descriptive of personal characters, used in a medieval game of chance called Rageman, perhaps from Anglo-Fr. Ragemon le bon "Ragemon the good," which was the heading on one set of the verses, referring to a character by that name. Sense transferred to "foolish activity or commotion" c.1955, but known orally from 1930s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see rigmarole on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way