ra’ah, “to be wicked,” strong’s H7489

The first occurrence.

And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Gen 19:7

The primitive root.

Strong’s H7489, רעע raah, a primitive root meaning “to be wicked.” The 3-letter root is resh + ayin + ayin. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon states that originally the ayin in this root was a ghah, a letter which exists in paleo-Hebrew and other Semitic languages, but which has been absorbed by the ayin in modern Hebrew.

resh ר  =  the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
ghah §  = rope, thus twisted, goat, dark, negative
ghah §  = rope, thus twisted, goat, dark, negative

The story: a man (resh) who is dark and twisted (ghah) does dark and twisted things (ghah); to be wicked, to do wickedly. The idea is that actions are fruit which comes from seeds, and wicked deeds come from a hidden seed of like kind.

THE ANCIENT HEBREW LEXICON | INDEX OF HEBREW ROOTS