1. A tough or rowdy person.
2. A thug or gangster.

[French, pimp, from Old French rufien, from Old Provençal rufian, from Old Italian ruffiano.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.