English
riddle
Riddle comes from Middle English redel, a back-formation from redels ‘a riddle’, from Old English rǣdels ‘counsel, opinion, riddle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- ‘to think, arrange’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hreh₁dʰ-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hréh₁dʰetireconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rēdaną‘to advise, counsel’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rādan‘to advise’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*rādislī‘counsel’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rǣdels‘counsel’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500redels‘a riddle or enigma’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500redel‘a riddle or enigma’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611riddle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hreh₁dʰ-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hréh₁dʰetireconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rēdaną‘to advise, counsel’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rādan‘to advise’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*rādislī‘counsel’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rǣdels‘counsel’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500redels‘a riddle or enigma’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500redel‘a riddle or enigma’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611riddle
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “12 ¶ And Samson said vnto them, I will…”
Formed from rede ‘advice’ + -le
Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- ‘to think, arrange’
…
Proto-Germanic *rēdaz ‘advice, counsel’
Proto-West Germanic *rād ‘advice, counsel’
Old English rǣd ‘advice’
Middle English red ‘counsel, advice, recommendation’
English rede
Linked words
pairs
- riddle and read both from Proto-West Germanic *rādan ‘to advise’
through Proto-Germanic *rēdaną ‘to decide, advise’
through Proto-West Germanic *rādan ‘to advise’
Another origin of riddle
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrid-‘to shake’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrīdrąreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hrīdrā‘sieve’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hriddel‘sieve’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500riddil
- Englishtodayriddle
Another origin of riddle
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wreyt-‘to twist, writhe’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wrīþaną‘to weave, to twist’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wrīþan‘to weave, twist’reconstructed
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050rīdan‘to turn’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400ridel
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500riddel
- Englishtodayriddle
Today it means
noun A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- / riddle