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THE GRAPH.

From Middle English rake [and other forms], from Old English raca, racu, ræce (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Germanic *rakō, *rekô (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Danish rage (chiefly regional), Middle Dutch rāke, rēke (modern Dutch raak, reek (both regional), riek (“pitchfork, rake”)), Middle Low German rāke, racke (modern German Low German Raak (“rake; poker”)), Old High German rehho, rech (Middle High German reche, modern German Rechen (“rake”)), Old Norse reka (“shovel”) (modern Icelandic reka (“shovel”)), Old Saxon recho, Old Swedish raka (modern Swedish raka (“rake; (long) straight section of a road”)).

The verb is partly derived from rake (“tool with a row of pointed teeth”) (see etymology 1) and from Middle English raken (“to rake; to gather by raking; to rake away (debris); to cover with something; (figurative) to conceal, hide; to destroy”) [and other forms], from Old Norse raka (“to scrape”), from Proto-Germanic *raką, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch rāken (modern Dutch raken (“to rake”) (regional)), Middle Low German rāken, Old Danish raghæ, rakæ (modern Danish rage (“to shave”)), Old Swedish raka (modern Swedish raka (“to rake; to shave”)). The noun is derived from the verb.

From Middle English rake, rakke (“pass, path, track; type of fencing thrust; pasture land (?)”), and then partly: * probably from Old English racu (“bed of a stream; path; account, narrative; explanation; argument, reasoning; reason”) (compare Old English hrace, hraca, hracu (“gorge”)), from Proto-Germanic *rakō (“path, track; course, direction; an unfolding, unwinding; account, narrative; argument, reasoning”) [and other forms], from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”); and * from Old Norse rák (“strip; stripe; furrow; small mountain ravine”), further etymology uncertain but probably ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rakō, as above. Cognates The English word is cognate with Icelandic rák (“streak, stripe; notch in a rock; vein in stone or wood”), Norwegian råk (“channel (in ice); cow path; trail”), Norwegian Nynorsk råk (“channel (in ice); cow path; trail; furrow; stripe”), Swedish råk (“crack or channel in ice; river valley”); and probably cognate with Old Danish rag (modern Danish rag (“stiff; taut”) (regional)), Old Norse rakr (“straight”), Swedish rak (“straight”).

The verb is derived from Middle English raken (“to go, proceed; to move quickly, hasten, rush; to roam, wander”) [and other forms], from Old English racian (“to go forward, move, run; to hasten; to take a course or direction; to control, direct, govern, rule”), from Proto-West Germanic *rakōn (“to take a course or direction; to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten; to direct oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch rāken (“to acquire; to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”) (modern Dutch raken (“to hit (not miss); to touch; to become”)), Middle Low German rāken, rōken (“to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”), Old High German rahhōn (“to narrate, speak”), and probably Swedish raka (“to rush off”). The noun is derived from the verb.

The origin of the verb is uncertain. The noun is probably derived from the verb. possibly related terms * German ragen (“to rise up out of; to jut or stick out”), from Middle High German ragen (compare Middle Dutch rāgen, Middle Low German rāgen), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erǵʰ- (“to go up, rise”); and * Middle Dutch rāken (“to acquire; to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”) (modern Dutch raken (“to hit (not miss); to touch; to become”)), Middle Low German rāken, rōken (“to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”), from Proto-Germanic *rakōną (“to take a course or direction; to run”) (see further at etymology 4).

The noun is a clipping of rakehell (“(archaic) lewd or wanton person, debauchee, rake”), from to rake (out) hell (“to search through hell thoroughly”), in the sense of a person so evil or immoral that they cannot be found in hell even after an extensive search: see rake (“to search through (thoroughly)”). The verb is derived from the noun.