rambunctious English · revision 1304

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɹæmˈbʌŋ(k)ʃəs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is of uncertain origin,^(AHD)^(RHWU) probably an alteration of ''rumbustious'' (1778),^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) itself a reshaping of ''robustious'' “boisterous” (before 1548),^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995) from [[robust]].^(AHD) The change may have been influenced by [[ram]]^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and perhaps by [[rum]] or [[bumptious]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(AHD) The American Heritage Dictionary calls the change of ''-s-'' to ''-nc-'' a mystery.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Boisterous and unruly (1830, as ''rumbunctious'').^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) Etymonline dates ''rumbunctious'' to 1824.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word is American.^(RHWU)^(OED 1989) The spelling ''rambunctious'' appears by 1834 or 1859,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) and the sense has always been wild, noisy exuberance.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1548 – ''robustious''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1778 – ''rumbustious''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1830 – ''rumbunctious''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1834 – ''rambunctious'', per Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1859 – ''rambunctious'', per Barnhart.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Noisy, energetic and hard to control; [[boisterous]] or [[unruly]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[rambunctiously]]

+ * [[rambunctiousness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[rumbustious]]

+ * [[robust]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}