Etymology

ruffian

ruf·fi·an
R1U1F4F4I1A1N1

Today it means: A scoundrel, rascal, or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person. Full definition →

Middle French rufian ← Italian ruffiano
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The story

  1. Italian · derived fromruffiano“pimp”
  2. Middle French · derived fromrufian
  3. English todayruffian

From Middle French rufian, from Italian ruffiano (“pimp”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.