different between savage vs riffraff

English

Etymology

From Middle English savage, from Old French sauvage, salvage (“wild, savage, untamed”), from Late Latin salvaticus, alteration of Latin silvaticus (“wild"; literally, "of the woods”), from silva (“forest", "grove”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sæv?d?/
• Rhymes: -æv?d?
• Hyphenation: sav?age

Adjective

savage (comparative more savage, superlative most savage)

1. Wild; not cultivated.
2. Barbaric; not civilized.
3. Fierce and ferocious.

4. Brutal, vicious, or merciless.

5. (Britain, slang) Unpleasant or unfair.

   - I'll see you in detention.
   - Ah, savage!

6. (Ireland, US, slang) Great, brilliant, amazing.

   Synonyms: wicked; see also Thesaurus:excellent

7. (heraldry) Nude; naked.

Related terms

• sylvan (see for more terms)

Translations

Noun

savage (plural savages)

1. (derogatory) A person living in a traditional, especially tribal, rather than civilized society, especially when viewed as uncivilized and uncultivated; a barbarian.
2. (figuratively) A defiant person.

Alternative forms

• salvage

Translations

Verb

savage (third-person singular simple present savages, present participle savaging, simple past and past participle savaged) (transitive)

1. To attack or assault someone or something ferociously or without restraint.

2. (figuratively) To criticise vehemently.
3. (of an animal) To attack with the teeth.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To make savage.

   • Its bloodhounds, savaged by a cross of wolf.

Translations

Anagrams

• agaves

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sauvage, saveage, salvage

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French savage, from Late Latin salv?ticus, from Latin silv?ticus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa?va?d?(?)/, /sa?vau?d?(?)/

Adjective

savage

1. savage, barbaric, unmannered, primitive
2. wild, untamed, harsh
3. mighty, strong, powerful
4. ferocious, angry, attacking, opposed
5. (rare) demented, crazy, insane
6. (rare) ill-thought, ill-advised

Derived terms

• savagyne

Descendants

• English: savage
• Scots: savage

References

• “sav??e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-28.

English

Alternative forms

• riff-raff

Etymology

From Old French rif et raf (“one and all”), of Germanic origin. The first word is from rifler (“to scrape off”) and the last is from raffler, related to rafler (“to plunder”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???f?æf/

Noun

riffraff (usually uncountable, plural riffraffs)

1. The rabble; crowds; the common people.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commonalty
2. Sweepings; refuse.

Derived terms

• riffraffish

Translations

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.