rash

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   An area of red, irritated spots on the skin.

   He came out in a rash because of an allergy.

2. 2
   adj

   Acting too quickly without thinking about the consequences.

   I'm so angry that I might do something rash.

3. 3
   noun

   A sudden series of unpleasant events happening close together.

   There has been a rash of burglaries in the area lately.

Probably a variant of race, raze (“to demolish; to destroy, obliterate; to scrape as if with a razor”), possibly modelled after rash (etymology 5 or etymology 6). Raze is derived from Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to pull; to strip off; to pluck or tear out; to root out (a tree, etc.); to pull away, snatch; to pull down; to knock down; to rend, tear apart; to pick clean, strip; to cleave, slice; to sever; to lacerate; to pierce; to carve, engrave; to dig; (figuratively) to expunge, obliterate; to alter”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman raser, rasere, r…

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