I. ˈraskəl, ˈraas-, chiefly Brit ˈrȧs- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English rascaile, rascaille, probably from Old North French rasque mud, ordure
1.
a. obsolete : the lowest class of an army or populace : rabble
b. archaic : a member of the rabble
he was rich and I was still a rascal — Robert Frost
2. obsolete
a. : the inferior and ill-conditioned animals in a herd of deer
b. : a deer of this kind
3.
a. : a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person : rogue
believed that dishonesty in public office … was more dangerous than incompetence, and he rode past the blatherskites to get at the rascals — James Thurber
b. : a person often of a pleasingly mischievous nature
nostalgic sketches of many lovable rascals — Linguaphone Magazine
the Yankee … was already established as a comic rascal — Bergen Evans
Synonyms: see villain
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English rascayl, from rascaile, rascaille, n.
: of, forming, or befitting the rabble : low , mean , base
rascal fiddler — Shakespeare
the rascal many — Edmund Spenser
a battered rascal guard — Vachel Lindsay