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ruffian

 - 3 dictionary results
Ruffian at Anthropologie
See Ruffian clothing designed exclusively for Anthropologie.
www.anthropologie.com
Ruffian - Collectors
Ruffian sculpture by Starlite and other racing gift items
HorseGiftsandArt.com

ruf⋅fi⋅an

  [ruhf-ee-uhn, ruhf-yuhn]
Use ruffian in a Sentence
–noun
1. a tough, lawless person; roughneck; bully.
–adjective
2. Also, ruf⋅fi⋅an⋅ly. tough; lawless; brutal.
Origin:
1525–35; < MF < It ruffiano, perh. < Langobardic *hruf scurf + It -ano -an

Synonyms:
1. brute, tough, knave, rogue, blackguard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ruffian
Ruffian at Anthropologie
See Ruffian clothing designed exclusively for Anthropologie.
www.anthropologie.com
Ruffian - Collectors
Ruffian sculpture by Starlite and other racing gift items
HorseGiftsandArt.com
ruf·fi·an   (rŭf'ē-ən, rŭf'yən)   
n.  

  1. A tough or rowdy person.

  2. A thug or gangster.


[French, pimp, from Old French rufien, from Old Provençal rufian, from Old Italian ruffiano.]
ruf'fi·an·ism n., ruf'fi·an·ly adj.
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

ruffian 
1531, from M.Fr. rufian "a pimp," from It. ruffiano "a pander, pimp," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Gmc. source related to rough (q.v.), but Du. roffiaan, Ger. Ruffian are said to be from French. Eng. meaning may have been influenced by similarity of sound to rough. The Romanic words (e.g. M.L. ruffianus, Prov. rufian, Catalan rufia, Sp. rufian) preserve the sense of "protector or owner of whores." For sense evolution in Eng., cf. bully.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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