Lexicographers do know that rogue entered English in print in the mid-16th century with the meanings vagrant, tramp, or beggar. Back then, rogue commonly appeared in the phrase rogues and vagabonds — a term that was used to describe suspicious folks to the authorities.

While the specific and stern constabulary associations of rogue wandered off over time, the word retained its negative connotation: rogue has been used to refer to a dishonest unprincipled person, a swindler, a worthless fellow or scoundrel.

When it's applied to animals, rogue can be an adjective meaning vicious and destructive. When applied to a horse, rogue refers to one inclined to shirk or misbehave. Rogue is also used as a short alternative for rogue elephant, defined as "a vicious elephant that separates from the herd and roams alone."

In addition to its scientific sense naming "an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation" in botany, rogue also enjoys delightful application to people: "a pleasantly mischievous person" and "a scamp."