Etymograph

English

rugged

Rugged comes from Old Norse rǫgg ‘tuft, shagginess’.

  1. Old Norsec. 800–1350rǫgg‘tuft, shagginess’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rugged
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1870–1871same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Norsec. 800–1350rǫgg‘tuft, shagginess’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rugged
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1870–1871same form

Earliest quotation: 1870–1871, Mark Twain pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne C, Hartford: “BY and by, after a rugged climb, we halted…”

Formed from rug ‘rough, woollen material’ + -ed

Middle English *rugge

English rug

Linked words

through Old Norse rǫgg ‘tuft, shagginess’

rag, rug, 1 more

Today it means

adj Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old Norse rǫgg / rugged

Shirt and support for this word