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Rag

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means a piece of old cloth; a disparaged newspaper

Where does the word "rag" come from? It comes from Old Norse rǫgg, passing through Middle English before entering English (1700s).

rǫgg→ragge→rag

Old Norse · medieval

"tuft, shagginess"

referred to a tuft or shaggy strip, as of fur or wool

Middle English · 1300s

"a scrap of cloth"

probably back-formed from 'ragged', which is recorded earlier

English · 1700s

"a piece of old cloth"

slang 'rag' for a low-quality newspaper followed in the 1700s, from newsprint being made of rag-paper

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Rag’s story begins in Old Norse: rǫgg meant “tuft, shagginess.” Referred to a tuft or shaggy strip, as of fur or wool. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as ragge. Probably back-formed from 'ragged', which is recorded earlier. It reached English by 1700s as rag. Slang 'rag' for a low-quality newspaper followed in the 1700s, from newsprint being made of rag-paper. Today, rag means a piece of old cloth; a disparaged newspaper.