1835: rough, rugged, and ragged Dec 24, 2019

Most people would probably want to see a man look rugged as opposed to ragged, or otherwise rough, but almost indubitably those terms are all related somewhere down the line. Although these words, and others, including just 'rug' and 'rag' meaning 'unkempt' in some sense or another all have old Germanic roots, and cognates in languages like Norwegian and Scotts, they have also changed a great deal over time; they relate to one's character, visage, and even decor (rug originally meant anything woolen and shaggy) but none have totally strayed from the root.

If there's another term that could belong here, write it in a comment. You can also support Word Facts at patreon.com/wordfacts