rackle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹæ.kəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English rakyl (“chain”), apparently related to Old Frisian rakels (“chain”), French racle ("the iron ring of a door" (from a Germanic source)), and also Middle English rakente, from Old English racente (“chain, fetter”). More at rackan.

Alternative forms

• rakkill (Scotland)

Noun

rackle (countable and uncountable, plural rackles)

1. (countable, UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) A chain.
2. (uncountable, UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) Noisy talk.

Verb

rackle (third-person singular simple present rackles, present participle rackling, simple past and past participle rackled)

1. (UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) To talk noisily; rattle on.

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Probably from rack (“to drive; move; go forward rapidly”), alteration of Middle English reken (“to drive; move; tend”), from Old Norse reka, vreka (“to drive; drift; toss”) +‎ -le (“tending or prone to”). Related to Icelandic reka, Swedish vräka, Danish vrage, English wrack.

Adjective

rackle (comparative more rackle, superlative most rackle)

1. Of a person: rash, impetuous, reckless
2. Rough, crude
3. Sturdy in old age

Anagrams

• Clarke, calker, lacker, recalk