Etymology Explorer › Arabic

Where does “رُوس” come from?

رُوس (Arabic) comes from Old East Slavic Русь, from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old Swedish roþs-, from Old Norse róðr, from Proto-Germanic rōþrą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.

Ancestry of “رُوس”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old East SlavicРусьRus; Ruthenia
2FinnishruotsiSwedish
3Proto-Finnic*roocci—
4Old Swedishroþs-related to rowing
5Old Norseróðr—
6Proto-Germanicrōþrąoar; rudder
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reh₁-to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- →