Ras"cal (?), n. [OE. rascaille rabble, probably from an OF. racaille, F. racaille the rabble, rubbish, probably akin to F. racler to scrape, (assumed) LL. rasiculare, rasicare, fr. L. radere, rasum. See Rase, v.]
1.
One of the rabble; a low, common sort of person or creature; collectively, the rabble; the common herd; also, a lean, ill-conditioned beast, esp. a deer.
[Obs.]
He smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the rascal.
Wyclif (1 Kings [1 Samuel] vi. 19).
Poor men alone? No, no; the noblest deer hath them [horns] as huge as the rascal.
Shak.
2. A mean, trickish fellow; a base, dishonest person; a rogue; a scoundrel; a trickster.
For I have sense to serve my turn in store,
And he's a rascal who pretends to more.
Dryden.
© Webster 1913.
Ras`cal, a.
Of or pertaining to the common herd or common people; low; mean; base.
"The
rascal many."
Spencer. "The
rascal people."
Shak.
While she called me rascal fiddler.
Shak.
© Webster 1913.