Etymograph

English

rase

Rase comes from Middle English rasen.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rasen1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1523rase1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rase
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1523, Johan Froyssart [i.e.: “The fortreſſe was raſed and beaten downe to the…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rasenWiktionary, English rase
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1523raseWiktionary, English rase. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1523, Johan Froyssart [i.e.: “The fortreſſe was raſed and beaten downe to the…”

The story

A variant of raze, from Middle English rasen: see further at raze.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Middle English rasen

race, raze

Today it means

verb To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rase”. 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 / Middle English rasen / rase

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