rash
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: dermatology
medicine
sciences
Etymology: The adjective is derived from Middle English rash, rasch (“hasty, headstrong, rash”) [and other forms], probably from Old English *ræsċ (“rash”) (found in derivatives such as ræsċan (“to move rapidly; to flicker; to flash; to glitter; to quiver”), ræsċettan (“to crackle, sparkle”), etc.), from Proto-West Germanic *rask, *raskī, *rasku, from Proto-Germanic *raskaz, *raskuz, *raþskaz, *raþskuz (“rash; rapid”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hreth₂- (“to run, roll”). The Middle English word was probably influenced by the cognates listed below.
The adverb is derived from Middle English rashe (“quickly, rapidly”), from rash, rasch (adjective) (see above).
Cognates
* Dutch ras, rasch (“rash”)
* Middle Low German rasch (“rash”)
* Old Danish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous”) (modern Danish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous; hasty, rash”))
* Old High German reski (“impetuous, rash”) (Middle High German rasch, resch (“agile, nimble; fast; lively; healthy, vigorous”), modern German rasch, räsch, resch (“agile, nimble; fast; hasty, rash; healthy, vigorous; of food: crisp, crusty”))
* Old Norse rǫskr (“brave; healthy, vigorous”) (Icelandic röskur (“strong; healthy, vigorous”))
* Old Swedish rasker (“agile, nimble; brave; fast; vigorous”) (modern Swedish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous”))
Inflected forms:
form: rasher
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: rashest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: rashes
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Acting too quickly without considering the consequences and risks; not careful; hasty.
pos: adj
examples: rash words spoken in the heat of debate
[…] Eusebius doth report that Ireneus dyd reprooue Victor byshop of Rome for his rash sentēce in excōmunicating the Churches of Grece, concerning the obseruation of the feast of Easter.
For ſitting in his [Marcus Junius Brutus's] tent, penſive and troubled vvith the horrour of his raſh act, it vvas not hard for him, ſlumbering in the cold, to dream of that vvhich moſt affrighted him; […]
[T]hrough the raſh adventure and fool-hardineſs of ſome fevv, an overture only made, and ſome advantage got of performing a great piece of ſervice and vvorthy exploit.
I vvas a fool, too raſh, and quite miſtaken / In vvhat I thought vvould have ſucceeded beſt.
He will tell you in how few moments ſhe repented of the raſh meſſage ſhe had ſent you— […]
So ſhould an ideot vvhile at large he ſtrays, / Find the ſvveet lyre on vvhich an artiſt plays, / VVith raſh and aukvvard force the chords he ſhakes, / And grins vvith vvonder at the jar he makes; […]
Take then no vow at random: ta'en, with faith / Preserve it; yet not bent, as Jephthah once, / Blindly to execute a rash resolve, / Whom better it had suited to exclaim, / 'I have done ill,' than to redeem his pledge / By doing worse: […]
She did a rash thing. She sent a letter to Ivy Bolton, enclosing a note to the keeper, and asking Mrs Bolton to give it to him.
gloss: Of corn or other grains: so dry as to fall out of the ear with handling.
pos: adj
tags: Northern-England
archaic
gloss: Requiring swift action; pressing; urgent.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
rare
examples: My Lord, I ſcarce haue leiſure to ſalute you, / My matter is ſo raſh: […]
gloss: Taking effect quickly and strongly; fast-acting.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
rare
examples: [T]he vnited veſſel of their bloud, / […] / Shall neuer leake, though it doe vvorke as ſtrong, / As Aconitum, or raſh gunpovvder.
Sir (my Lord) / I could doe this, and that vvith no raſh Potion, / But with a lingring Dram, that ſhould not vvorke / Maliciouſly, like Poyſon.
[T]he inboard seas run swirling and hawling; / The rash smart sloggering brine / Blinds her; […]
gloss: An area of inflamed and irritated skin characterized by reddened spots that may be filled with fluid or pus. Also, preceded by a descriptive word (rare or obsolete), an illness characterized by a type of rash.
pos: noun
examples: He came out in a rash because of an allergy.
She applied rash cream on herself to reduce the irritation.
A wet cloth should help with the rash on your arm.
gloss: An irregular distribution or sprinkling of objects resembling a rash (sense 1).
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
gloss: An outbreak or surge in problems; a spate, string, or trend.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
examples: There has been a rash of vandalism lately.
Wet through and through: with her feet squelching and squashing in her shoes whenever she moved; with a rash of rain upon her classical visage; […]
Until the recent rash of North London line maps appeared on station billboards in the London area of BR, the service undoubtedly suffered from meagre and ineffectual publicity.
Science has tried and failed to come to a consensus about the hygienic superiority of one product over the other. Even so, the paper towel industry has funded or promoted a rash of studies claiming that hand dryers turn bathrooms into mosh pits of pathogens.
Derived words: overrash
rashful
rashling
rashly
rashness
unrash
rashie
rashless
rashlike
rashy
all over someone like a rash
barber's rash
beard rash
bring out in a rash
butterfly rash
canker rash
diaper rash
Disney rash
drug rash
gum-rash
hangar rash
heat rash
hiker's rash
hot water bottle rash
knob-rash
malar rash
mud wrestler's rash
napkin rash
nappy rash
nettle rash
pash rash
rash fever
rashguard
rash up
rash vest
reef rash
rink rash
road rash
rose rash
scarlet rash
stubble rash
summer rash
sweat rash
tooth rash
viral rash
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