simple past tense and past participle of rug
"The old carpet was so worn that it had to be rugged out before installing new flooring."
In plain English: To rugged something means to make it very strong and durable by adding tough materials or reinforcing its structure.
"The team rugged up against their opponents in the final minutes to secure victory."
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring
"with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture"
Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
"The old sofa was so worn that it had become rugged, with large patches of missing fabric exposing the springs underneath."
Having a rug or rugs.
In plain English: Rugged describes something that is rough, uneven, and full of natural features like rocks and hills instead of being smooth or flat.
"The hikers struggled to climb up the rugged mountain trail because the rocks were sharp and uneven."
Usage: Use rugged to describe surfaces with an uneven, jagged texture rather than simply being dirty or worn out. This term often applies naturally to landscapes like mountains and cliffs as well as clothing designed for harsh outdoor conditions.
The word rugged comes from Middle English, which borrowed it directly from the Old Norse term for "tuft" or "shagginess." It entered English with this original sense of being covered in coarse hair before evolving to describe rough terrain.