ruffianism

English

Etymology

From ruffian +‎ -ism.

Noun

ruffianism (countable and uncountable, plural ruffianisms)

1. The behaviour of a ruffian; ruffians collectively. [from 16th c.]
   • 1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of his Natural Life, Penguin, published 2009, page 53:

     Each new comer was one more recruit to the ranks of ruffianism, and not a man penned in that reeking den of infamy but became a sworn hater of law, order, and “free-men.”

   • 1949, George Orwell, 1984, published 1949, page 242 (in Part III, Chapter I):

     A scrubby beard covered his face to the cheekbones, giving him an air of ruffianism that went oddly with his large weak frame and nervous movements.