Etymograph

English

ragman

From rag + man.

A compound of rag + man

Proto-Germanic *rawwa-

Old Norse rǫgg ‘tuft’

Old English ragg

Middle English ragge ‘rag, cloth scrap’

English rag

Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human being, person, man’

Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’

Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’

Middle English man

English man

Today it means

noun A person who collects and sells unwanted household items such as rags and other refuse for a living, a rag and bone man.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ragman”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / ragman