Late Middle English; earliest use found in Ballad Scottish Wars. Originally from early Scandinavian from the same Scandinavian base as Old Icelandic reika. In later use also directly from raik. From the 17th cent. onwards sometimes apprehended as the same word as rake<br>late 15th century. Apparently originally a variant of rake, now distinguished in form in the sense below<br>Middle English; earliest use found in Ancrene Riwle. From early Scandinavian; further etymology uncertain. In Orkney and Shetland use probably partly via the unattested Norn reflex of the early Scandinavian word represented by the Scandinavian forms listed above.