Old Catalan word translation

[flabbergasted]

How would you translate the Catalan word "nyèbit" into English? Is "rake" a good choice?

[Iversen]

About persons, yes - and that's the common explanation in most dictionaries - though Diccionari Invers adds "Noi que va perdut pels carrers". Rodamots has the same two meanings, and it is likely that the relatively neutral meaning "vagabond"is the original one, and that the general use about tramps - including those that don't move around - is derived from it. Though I don't have a source that directly confirms this.

But it seems that the word also is used about things. There is a discussion about it in this blogspot. For instance it seems that it is used for "tanca a pressió" around Matarò, and other uses like "una mena de botó metàl·lic, una petita tanca, per cordar dues peces d’un vestit com ara una brusa, un viso, una camisa" and "el petimetres que anaven en bicicleta i la botzina en forma de trompeta" are mentioned at Rodamots - but these uses are probably not something you would find in Ancient Catalan.

[flabbergasted]

Thanks for the extended answer. As usual, much appreciated. I think the best equivalent would combine the idea of "ne'er-do-well" and "vagabond", but I can't think of one. What I don't like about "rake" is that it doesn't have the wanderer connotation.