English
ruddy
Ruddy comes from Old English rudiġ ‘reddish’, from rudu ‘Red, redness, ruddy complexion’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rewdʰ-‘red’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rudu‘Red, redness, ruddy complexion’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150rudiġ‘reddish’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rody
- Englishearliest quotation 1805ruddy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rewdʰ-‘red’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rudu‘Red, redness, ruddy complexion’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150rudiġ‘reddish’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rody
- Englishearliest quotation 1805ruddy
Earliest quotation: 1805, Walter Scott, (please specify the page): “It ruddied all the copse-wood glen”.
Equivalent to rud ‘redness’ + -y
Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ‘red’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁rudʰéh₁ti ‘to be red’
Proto-Germanic *rudāną ‘to redden’
Old English rudian ‘to be ruddy’
Middle English rudden
English rud
The story
The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ‘red’
red, ruby, rust, rowan, reddish, rouse, roux, redness, corroborate, russel, roan, rubric, rubella, erythema, robusta, russet, rufous, rud, 34 more
through Old English rudu ‘Red, redness, ruddy complexion’
Today it means
adj Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- / ruddy