rakehell

rake·hell

 (rāk′hĕl′)

n.

An immoral or dissolute man.


[Possibly by folk etymology from obsolete rackle, headstrong, from Middle English rakel, perhaps from raken, to go.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rakehell

(ˈreɪkˌhɛl)

[C16: from rake1 + hell; but compare Middle English rakel rash]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

rake•hell

(ˈreɪkˌhɛl)

n.

1. a licentious or dissolute man; rake.

adj.

2. Also, rake′hell`y. dissolute; profligate.

[1540–50; alter. by folk etym. (see rake1, hell) of Middle English rakel (adj.) rash, rough, coarse, hasty]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.