Where does “Little Red Riding Hood” come from?
Little Red Riding Hood (English) comes from English Red, from English rede, from Middle English reden, from Old English rǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic rādan, from Proto-Germanic rēdaną, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
Little Red Riding Hood (English): A traditional fairy tale recounting the story of a young girl who journeys through the forest to vist her grandmother, only to encounter the Big Bad Wolf, (or, in some archaic versions, another ferocious wolf or werewolf)
Definitions
- A traditional fairy tale recounting the story of a young girl who journeys through the forest to vist her grandmother, only to encounter the Big Bad Wolf, (or, in some archaic versions, another ferocious wolf or werewolf)
Ancestry of “Little Red Riding Hood”, step by step
Little Red Riding Hood traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Red
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Red | A Communist; A supporter of a sports team who... |
| 2 | English | rede | Help, advice, counsel; Decision, a plan; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | reden | to counsel, advise; to study; to read |
| 4 | Old English | rǣdan | to read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | rādan | to advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaną | to decide, advise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English little
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | little | Small in size; Insignificant, trivial; Very young |
| 2 | Middle English | litel | little |
| 3 | Old English | lȳtel | little |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lūtil | bent; tending to stoop; crouching |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |
via English riding hood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | riding hood | A hood intended for use by women while... |
| 2 | Middle English | rydyng hoode | — |