ruffian

English

Etymology

From Middle French rufian, from Italian ruffiano (“pimp”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹʌfi.ən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ruf‧fi‧an

Noun

ruffian (plural ruffians)

1. A scoundrel, rascal, or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person.

   Synonyms: rogue, scamp; see also Thesaurus:troublemaker

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 145, column 1:

     What wilt thou on thy death-bed play the Ruffian?

   • 1894, George du Maurier, “Part Fifth: Little Billee: An Interlude”, in Trilby: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 259:

     It was at Count Siloszech's. He'd heard her sing in the streets, with a tall, black-bearded ruffian, who accompanied her on a guitar, and a little fiddling gypsy fellow. She was a handsome woman, with hair down to her knees, but stupid as an owl.

2. (obsolete) A pimp; a pander.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pimp

3. (obsolete) A lover; a paramour.
   • 1621, John Reynolds, The Triumphs of God's Revenge against the crying and execrable Sinne of Murther:

     He [her husband] is no sooner abroad than she is instantly at home, revelling with her ruffians.

Translations

scoundrel, rascal

Bulgarian: грубиян (bg) m (grubijan), хулиган (bg) m (huligan) Chinese: Mandarin: 痞子 (zh) (pǐzi) Dutch: schelm (nl) m, schurk (nl) m Finnish: räyhääjä (fi), öykkäri (fi), rettelöijä (fi) French: rufian (fr), voyou (fr), brute (fr) Galician: bagaxeiro m, mandito m, arrufado m, arrufainado m, gallofo m, francante m, moinante (gl) m German: Raubein (de) n Greek: κακούργος (el) m (kakoúrgos) Irish: ruifíneach m, bithiúnach m Italian: facinoroso (it) m Khmer: អ្នកលេងកាប់ចាក់ (neak leeŋ kap cak) Macedonian: грубијан m (grubijan) Norwegian: bølle Plautdietsch: Ruchull m Polish: artysta (pl) m, artystka (pl) f Portuguese: rufião (pt) m Russian: негодя́й (ru) m (negodjáj), хулига́н (ru) m (xuligán), буя́н (ru) m (buján) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: грубѝја̄н m, силѐџија m Roman: grubìjān (sh) m, silèdžija (sh) m Slovene: please add this translation if you can Spanish: rufián (es) m Swedish: skurk (sv) c, rackare (sv) c, slyngel (sv) c, lymmel (sv) c Yiddish: כוליגאַן m (khuligan)

Verb

ruffian (third-person singular simple present ruffians, present participle ruffianing, simple past and past participle ruffianed)

1. To play the ruffian; to rage; to raise tumult.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     Methinks the wind does speak aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements. If it hath ruffianed so upon the sea.

Adjective

ruffian (comparative more ruffian, superlative most ruffian)

1. Brutal, cruel, ruffianlikes.

   ruffian rage

Anagrams

• funfair

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁy.fjɑ̃/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

ruffian m (plural ruffians)

1. alternative spelling of rufian
   • 1943, Jean Ray, Malpertuis, published 1978, page 8:

     Il n'y a que la fortune pour faire d'un ruffian un honnête homme, soumis aux lois humaines.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “ruffian”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.