Word of the Day

adjective

He often doesn't think before he speaks, and this is not the first time he has had to apologize for his rash comments.

"Many colleges have yet to send out their final acceptances. So before making a rash decision, sit tight and wait to hear back from all your colleges." — From an article by Purvi S. Mody in the San Jose Mercury News (California), March 19, 2012

The earliest known uses of "rash" (then spelled "rasch") occur in a northern dialect of 15th-century Middle English. Its earlier origins are not known for sure, though it is clearly related to a number of similar words in the Germanic languages, including Old High German "rasc" ("fast, hurried, strong, clever"), Old Norse "röskr" ("brave, vigorous"), and Middle Dutch "rasch" ("quick, nimble, agile, vigorous"). It is not, however, related to the English noun "rash" ("an eruption on the body," as in a "skin rash"). The noun "rash," which first appeared in English in the 1700s, comes by way of French and Vulgar Latin from Latin "rasus," the past participle of "radere" ("to scrape" or "to shave").

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