1. Rent or worn
into tatters, or before the
texture is broken; as, a
ragged coat; a
ragged sail.
2. Broken with
rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as,
ragged rocks.
3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. "A
ragged noise of mirth."
4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a
ragged fellow.
5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.
"What shepherd owns those ragged sheep ?" (Dryden) Ragged lady, prince's feather (Polygonum orientale). Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; a name given at first because they came in their general clothing. Rag"gedly, Rag"gedness.
Origin: From Rag.
Source: Websters Vocabulary