Dishonest, unprincipled people; scoundrels or troublemakers, or playfully mischievous people.
From French 'rogue,' possibly from earlier 'roge' meaning a vagrant or beggar. Some scholars connect it to Latin 'rogare' meaning 'to ask,' as rogues were beggars. By the 1500s, it meant a dishonest person or trickster.
The word 'rogue' has this fascinating duality—it can mean genuinely evil (a rogue state, a rogue cop) or delightfully mischievous (a rogue smile, a roguish charm). This split meaning reflects how humans have always been fascinated by lovable criminals and charming rebels in our stories!
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