Riffraff
/ˈrɪfˌræf/noun
Disreputable or low-status people, especially a disorderly crowd.
Did you know?Riffraff is a reduplicative insult from Middle English and Old French roots meaning “to cut up” and “to sweep away,” so the word itself feels like verbal trash being tossed aside.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
riff-raff
“A worthless remnant, rabble, or low crowd”
Old French
Old French
rifler
“To rob, plunder, or sweep off”
Middle French
Old French
rif et raf
“A phrase meaning “everything,” especially the leftovers taken in plunder”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*riftaną
“To tear, split, or pluck apart”
Modern English
English
riffraff
“A disreputable or disorderly crowd”