English word origin

Etymology of rowdy

Possibly from row (“noisy argument”), originally used as a noun.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

adj

Loud and disorderly; riotous; boisterous.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Possibly from row (“noisy argument”), originally used as a noun.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "Possibly"
      },
      "expansion": "Possibly"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "row",
      "row#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Loud and disorderly; riotous; boisterous."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6931ebdbff8d9f87599ab8fd6b2dd715f5927e67acfce53da6fd17d09479fbd5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "741507954c9a7963da05ee840773fc8952a0f4aa6722d1cd582a5749a419ad57",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 437284
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A boisterous person; a brawler. · money; ready money.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Possibly from row (“noisy argument”), originally used as a noun.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "Possibly"
      },
      "expansion": "Possibly"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "row",
      "row#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Rowdy",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A boisterous person; a brawler.",
        "money; ready money."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "obsolete",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "10dc9f57bb9d3582f1e1d4f2f61f1db47e1602b7bbf20a100b3ef3ee1cc0b7e4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2d9b93c1bc5fedd9733079bcce0b7c52df42556a143492eebebd509efa33b1d2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 437285
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rowdy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cm93ZHk