rugged
adj/ɹʌɡd/
Etymology From rug + -ed.
1
Having a rug or rugs.
2
Covered with a rug.
- Please put sharp objects on the rugged shelf.
rugged
adj/ˈɹʌɡ.ɪd/
Etymology From Middle English rugged, roggyd, ruggyd, derived from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft, shagginess”), equivalent to rug (“rough, woollen material”) + -ed. Compare Old Swedish ruggoter (“wrinkled”), Swedish rugga (“to roughen”), Swedish ruggig (“shaggy”), Icelandic rögg (“shagginess”), Old Norse raggaðr (“tufted”), dialectal Danish raggad (“shaggy”).
12 senses
- 1Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
- 2Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
- 3Rough with bristly hair; shaggy.
- 4Strong, sturdy, well-built.
- 5Rocky and bare of plantlife.
- 6Harsh; austere; hard
- 7Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous
- 8Harsh; grating; unpleasant sounding or looking
- 9Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled
- 10Violent; rude; boisterous
- 11Vigorous; robust; hardy
- 12Designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments…
1
Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
- BY and by, after a rugged climb, we halted on the summit of a hill which commanded a far-reaching view.1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “”, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 465:
2
Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
- Commercially produced yarn, such as rayon, produces a cloth with a smoother, shinier look than hand-spun cotton, but the uneven, rugged look of hand-spun cotton can be quite appealing.2011, Ronke Luke-Boone, African Fabrics: Sewing Contemporary Fashion with Ethic Flair:
3
Rough with bristly hair; shaggy.
- His hair was light and rather thin; his face strong and rugged from exposure, and his eyes narrow and observant.1897, Kate Chopin, A Morning Walk:
4
Of a person Strong, sturdy, well-built.
- Many women and men delude themselves into thinking that only the hardest and most rugged man is attractive and to many it may be the case.2010, Arthur Queen Jr., Young Man: Ageless Fatherly Wisdom to Hold:
5
Of land Rocky and bare of plantlife.
- As the train wound along the river valleys through western Pennsylvania the scenery grew more rugged and the painted houses of Lancaster County gave way to dirty clapboard dwellings and shack homes clinging to the mountainside.1953 July, Allen Rowley, “First Impressions of American Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 492:
- Hidden within 30,000 acres of rugged private land, the ranch is cocooned by peaks and canyons in all directions.2013, Vicky Baker, The Guardian, Riding with the cowboys on a Mexico ranch:
1 more example
- Much of the area can be seen only by hikers who travel without trails to the higher reaches of this rugged mountain range.1971, United States Forest Service, Search for solitude: our wilderness heritage:
6
Character, Of temper Harsh; austere; hard
7
Of weather Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous
8
Of sound Harsh; grating; unpleasant sounding or looking
9
Of looks Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled
Appearance etc.
- "Ah!" sighed the unimaginative Granby, and his honest, rugged face grew clouded. Pepper puffed in silence for a moment or two; then spoke.1908, Rafael Sabatini, The Abduction:
10
Of behaviour Violent; rude; boisterous
11
Of health Vigorous; robust; hardy
- "Her gaze rested for a moment on the muscular neck, heavy corded, almost bull-like, bronzed by the sun, spilling over with rugged health and strength..."1909, Jack London, Martin Eden:
12
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Of a computer Designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions.
- Psion, which supplies a range of rugged hand held computers, has lost nearly 2% after announcing a plunge into the red.2011, Nick Fletcher, Psion drops 2% after supply chain issues push it into loss:
- Derived terms
- nonrugged, rugged individualism, ruggedise, ruggedish, ruggedization, ruggedize, ruggedly, ruggedness, semirugged, unrugged