An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/rot

by Friedrich Kluge

rot, adjective, ‘red,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German rôt, adjective; corresponding to the equivalent Gothic rauþs, Old Icelandic rauðr, Anglo-Saxon reád, English red (Anglo-Saxon also reód, Old Icelandic rjóðr, ‘red’), Dutch rood, Old Saxon rôd. Gothic and common Teutonic rauda-, from pre-Teutonic roudho-, is a graded form of the widely-diffused Aryan root rū̆dh, ‘to be red,’ which appears also in Modern High German Rost (2), as well as in Old High German rutichôn, ‘to be reddish,’ Middle High German rō̆ten, ‘to redden,’ and Middle High German rŏt, ‘red’; also in Gothic gariudjô, ‘shamefacedness,’ and perhaps Gothic *bi-rusnjan, ‘to honour,’ Anglo-Saxon rudu, ‘redness,’ and rûd, ‘red,’ English rud (Anglo-Saxon rudduc, English ruddock). In the non-Teutonic languages, besides the words adduced under Rost (2), the following are the principal cognates: Sanscrit rudhirá-s, ‘red,’ rôhita, ‘red’ (for *rôdhita); Greek ἐρυθρός, ‘red,’ ἔρευθος, ‘redness, flush,’ ἐρυσίπελας, ‘erysipelas,’ ἐρεύθω, ‘to redden’ (Old Icelandic rjóða; Anglo-Saxon reódan, ‘to redden, kill’); Latin ruber (rubro- for *rudhro-, Greek ἐρυθρός, like barba for *bardhâ, see Bart), rufus, ‘red,’ rubidus, ‘dark red,’ rubeo, ‘to blush with shame’; Old Slovenian rŭdrŭ, ‘red,’ rŭděti sę, ‘to blush’; Lithuanian rùdas, rùsvas, ‘reddish brown,’ raúdas, raudónas, ‘red,’ raudà, ‘red colour.’ It is noteworthy that red in several of these languages is a sign of shame. Moreover, the Teutonic cognates may be explained from an Aryan root rut, which appears also in Latin rŭt-ilus, ‘reddish.’ — Derivatives Rötel, masculine, ‘red chalk,’ from Middle High German rœtel, rœtelstein, masculine, English ruddle; compare the equivalent Latin rubrĭca, from ruber. — Röteln, plural, ‘measles.’ —