Late 19th century; earliest use found in John Stainer (1840–1901), musicologist and composer. From Spanish rasgado act of strumming a guitar, past participle of rasgar to strum (a guitar), transferred use of rasgar to scratch, to tear, probably alteration of †resgar in same sense due to confusion with rascar to scratch, to scrape. See further J. Corominas Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico at rasgar.