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ragged

1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken; as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail.

2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks.

3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. A ragged noise of mirth.

4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.

5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.

(Science: botany) What shepherd owns those ragged sheep ? (Dryden) Ragged lady, prince's feather (polygonum orientale). Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; a name given at first because they came in their common clothing. Raggedly, Raggedness.

Origin: From Rag.