[1600–10; ‹ L agrest(is) pertaining to fields, rural, rustic (by dissimilation from *agrestris, equiv. to agr-, s. of ager field + -estris adj. suffix) + -al1]This word is first recorded in the period 1600–10. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: criticism, operate, quarantine, skid, umbrella