- rudimentary (adj.)[rudimentary 词源字典]
- 1827; see rudiment + -ary. Earlier was rudimental (1590s).[rudimentary etymology, rudimentary origin, 英语词源]
- Rudolph
- masc. proper name, from German Rudolf, from Old High German Hrodulf, literally "fame-wolf," from hruod- "fame, glory" + wolf.
- Rudra
- storm god in Vedic mythology, from Sanskrit Rudrah, according to Klein literally "the howler, roarer," from stem of rudati "weeps, laments, bewails," cognate with Latin rudere "to roar, bellow," Lithuanian rauda "wail, lamentation," Old English reotan "to wail, lament."
- rue (v.)
- "feel regret," Old English hreowan "make sorry, distress, grieve" (class II strong verb; past tense hreaw, past participle hrowen), from Proto-Germanic *khrewan (cognates: Old Frisian riowa, Middle Dutch rouwen, Old Dutch hrewan, German reuen "to sadden, cause repentance"); in part, blended with Old English weak verb hreowian "feel pain or sorrow," and perhaps influenced by Old Norse hryggja "make sad," both from Proto-Germanic *khruwjan, all from PIE root *kreue- (2) "to push, strike" (see anacrusis). Related: Rued; ruing.
- rue (n.1)
- perennial evergreen shrub, late 14c., from Old French rue (13c.), earlier rude, from Latin ruta "rue," probably from Greek rhyte, of uncertain etymology, originally a Peloponnesian word. The bitter taste of its leaves led to many punning allusions to rue (n.2.).
- rue (n.2)
- "sorrow, repentance," Old English hreow "grief, repentance, sorrow, regret, penitence," common Germanic (Frisian rou, Middle Dutch rou, Dutch rouw, Old High German (h)riuwa, German reue), related to the root of rue (v.).
- rue (n.3)
- French for "street," from Vulgar Latin *ruga (source also of Old Italian ruga), properly "a furrow," then in Medieval Latin "a path, street" (see rough (adj.)).
- rueful (adj.)
- early 13c., rewfulle, reowfule, from rue (n.2) + -ful. Related: Ruefulness.
- ruefully (adv.)
- early 13c., reufulike; see rueful + -ly (2).
- ruff (n.)
- kind of large collar, stiffly starched, especially common in the seventeenth century, 1520s, originally in reference to sleeves (of collars, from 1550s), probably a shortened form of ruffle.
Card-playing sense is a separate word, from a former game of that name (1580s), from Middle French roffle, earlier romfle (early 15c.), from Italian ronfa, perhaps a corruption of trionfo "triumph" (from French; compare trump). The game was in vogue c. 1590-1630. - ruff (v.)
- in cards, 1760, from ruff (n.). Related: Ruffed; ruffing.
- ruffian (n.)
- 1530s, "a boisterous, brutal fellow, one ready to commit any crime," from Middle French rufian "a pimp" (15c.), from Italian ruffiano "a pander, pimp," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Germanic source related to rough (adj.), but Dutch roffiaan, German Ruffian are said to be from French. English meaning might have been influenced by similarity of sound to rough. Related: Ruffianly.
The Romanic words (such as Medieval Latin ruffianus, Provençal rufian, Catalan rufia, Spanish rufian) preserve the sense of "protector or owner of whores." For sense evolution in English, compare bully (n.). - ruffle (v.)
- early 14c., "to disturb the smoothness of," perhaps from Old Norse hrufla "to scratch," or Low German ruffelen "to wrinkle, curl," both of unknown origin. Meaning "disarrange" (hair or feathers) first recorded late 15c.; sense of "annoy, distract" is from 1650s. Related: Ruffled; ruffling.
- ruffle (n.)
- "ornamental frill," 1707, from ruffle (v.).
- rufous (adj.)
- "reddish-brown," 1782, from Latin rufus "red, reddish, red-haired," from Osco-Umbrian cognate of Latin ruber "red" (see red (adj.1)).
- Rufus
- masc. proper name, literally "red-haired," from Latin rufus (see rufous).
- rug (n.)
- 1550s, "coarse fabric," of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian dialectal rugga "coarse coverlet," from Old Norse rogg "shaggy tuft," from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, perhaps related to rag (n.) and rough (adj.). Sense evolved to "coverlet, wrap" (1590s), then "mat for the floor" (1808). Meaning "toupee" is theater slang from 1940. Cut a rug "dance" is slang first attested 1942. To sweep (something) under the rug in the figurative sense is from 1954. Figurative expression pull the rug out from under (someone) "suddenly deprive of important support" is from 1936, American English. Earlier in same sense was cut the grass under (one's) feet (1580s).
- rugae (n.)
- plural of ruga (1775), from Latin ruga "a wrinkle in the face," from PIE *rug-, variant of *reue- (2) "to smash, knock down, tear up, dig up, uproot" (see rough (adj.)).
- rugby (n.)
- type of football, 1864, after Rugby, public school where the game was played, from city of Rugby in Warwickshire, central England. The place name is Rocheberie (1086), probably "fortified place of a man called *Hroca;" with second element from Old English burh (dative byrig), replaced by 13c. with Old Norse -by "village" due to the influence of Danish settlers. Otherwise it might be *Rockbury today. Or first element perhaps is Old English hroc "rook." Rugby Union formed 1871. Slang rugger for "rugby" is from 1893.
- rugged (adj.)
- c. 1300, "rough, shaggy, careworn" (originally of animals), from Old Norse rogg "shaggy tuft" (see rug). "The precise relationship to ragged is not quite clear, but the stem is no doubt ultimately the same" [OED]. Meaning "vigorous, strong, robust" is American English, by 1848.
We were challenged with a peace-time choice between the American system of rugged individualism and a European philosophy of diametrically opposed doctrines -- doctrines of paternalism and state socialism. [Herbert Hoover, speech in New York, Oct. 22, 1928]
Hoover said the phrase was not his own, and it is attested from 1897, though not in a patriotic context. Related: Ruggedly; ruggedness.