Alternates: rigamarole
Function: noun
Etymology: Alteration of obsolete ragman roll, catalog, from Middle English ragmane rolle, a long roll of verses descriptive of personal characters, used in a medieval game of chance called Rageman, perhaps from Anglo-Fr. Ragemon le bon "Ragemon the good," which was the heading on one set of the verses, referring to a character by that name + Middle English rolle, list (from Old French, from Latin rotula, wheel). Sense transferred to "foolish activity or commotion."
Date: 1523
Definition: 1) confused or meaningless talk; 2) a complex and ritualistic procedure.
Function: noun
Etymology: Alteration of obsolete ragman roll, catalog, from Middle English ragmane rolle, a long roll of verses descriptive of personal characters, used in a medieval game of chance called Rageman, perhaps from Anglo-Fr. Ragemon le bon "Ragemon the good," which was the heading on one set of the verses, referring to a character by that name + Middle English rolle, list (from Old French, from Latin rotula, wheel). Sense transferred to "foolish activity or commotion."
Date: 1523
Definition: 1) confused or meaningless talk; 2) a complex and ritualistic procedure.
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