ragged school

1 definition found

ragged school - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Ragged \Rag"ged\ (r[a^]g"g[e^]d), a. [From Rag, n.]
     1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken;
        as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail.
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     2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough;
        jagged; as, ragged rocks.
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     3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. [R.]
        "A ragged noise of mirth." --Herbert.
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     4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.
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     5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.
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              What shepherd owns those ragged sheep? --Dryden.
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     Ragged lady (Bot.), the fennel flower (Nigella  Damascena
        ).
  
     Ragged robin (Bot.), a plant of the genus Lychnis
        (Lychnis Flos-cuculi), cultivated for its handsome
        flowers, which have the petals cut into narrow lobes.
  
     Ragged sailor (Bot.), prince's feather (Polygonum  orientale
        ).
  
     Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they
        are taught and in part fed; -- a name given at first
        because they came in their common clothing. [Eng.]
        [1913 Webster] -- Rag"ged*ly, adv. -- Rag"ged*ness, n.
        [1913 Webster] Raggie