Today's Word "Runagate"
Published in Vocabulary
runagate \REHN-eh-geyt\ (noun) - The same as that of "renegade:" 1 : an apostate, someone who deserts a religion, cause or obligation; 2 : an outlaw, especially one who runs rampant over a territory.
"The new music teacher put together a jazz ensemble composed of runagates from the symphony orchestra."
Today's word probably originated as a variant of "renegade," "renegate" (from Latin renegatus "denied, rejected," akin to "renege"). Then, perhaps under the influence of run-about "a vagabond, wanderer," it fell victim to folk etymology. Folk etymology occurs when a rather long word of foreign origin is poorly understood, so speakers convert it into a word based on familiar parts. For example, shamefast "bound by shame" became "shamefaced" when the meaning of "fast" changed, while French cotelette "little rib" became "cutlet." Though "gate" was familiar, the "rene" was not, so it was converted to "run," resulting in a new word that almost makes sense.
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