English
riddance
Riddance may come from Middle English riddeings.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500riddeingsuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598riddance
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500riddeingsuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598riddance
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go. Let all…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’
short, across, share, card, cross, screen, score, shirt, circle, circuit, cancer, crucial, curve, scare, circus, circulation, skirt, carnival, curb, scar, scrutiny, crest, circa, shrine, corona, shear, scorpion, cancellation, shred, carnage, raffle, circulate, carcinoma, corolla, scorn, shrewd, incarceration, crux, shard, carnal, 118 more
through Old English hryding ‘a clearing, cleared land’
Today it means
noun An act of ridding, clearance, or removal; elimination.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English riddeings / riddance