Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ROGUE

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V23, Page 459 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

ROGUE , a word which came into use about the See also:

middle of the 16th See also:century as a See also:slang or " cant " See also:term for a vagrant vagabond, answering to the See also:modern "See also:tramp," and was adopted into See also:English legal phraseology together with " vagabond " in the See also:Statute of See also:Elizabeth 1572, " rogue and vagabond " and " incorrigible rogue " remaining as legal terms for certain classes of persons amenable to the See also:law under the See also:Vagrancy Acts (see VAGRANCY). The See also:act of Elizabeth defined " rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars " as including " idle persons going about and using subtle See also:craft and unlawful See also:games and all persons whole and mighty in See also:body, but having neither See also:land nor See also:master, nor able to give an See also:account how they get their living and all See also:common labourers using loitering and refusing to See also:work for the See also:wages commonly given " (See also:Sir G. Nicholls' See also:History of the English Poor Law, ed. 1898 by H. G. Willink, vol, i. 159). The word has now the See also:general meaning of a See also:knave or See also:rascal, though also used (by meiosis) as a term of playful or See also:tender banter and in various See also:special applications (e.g. a " rogue " See also:elephant, one who has been driven out by the See also:herd and lives a solitary See also:life, becoming very See also:savage and destructive. Gardeners also apply the word to a plant which does not come true from See also:seed, showing some variation from the type). The derivation of the word has been much disputed. It has usually been referred to Fr. rogue, meaning proud, arrogant, which is variously derived from the Icelandic hroke, See also:rook, See also:long-winded talker, or See also:Breton role, proud, haughty; cf. Irish and Gaelic rucas, See also:pride.

The New English See also:

Dictionary, however, rejects this derivation, and considers possible a connexion with another See also:early " cant " word `.` See also:roger," a begging vagabond pretending to be a poor university See also:scholar.

End of Article: ROGUE

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ROGIER, CHARLES LATOUR (1800–1885)
[next]
ROHAN