Where does “Rousseau” come from?
Rousseau (English) comes from French rousseau, from French roux, from Old French ros, from Latin russus, from Latin Russia, from Old East Slavic Русь, from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.
Ancestry of “Rousseau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | rousseau | redhead |
| 2 | French | roux | russet; ginger; redhead |
| 3 | Old French | ros | reed, tooth of a weaver's comb |
| 4 | Latin | russus | red, reddish-brown |
| 5 | Latin | Russia | — |
| 6 | Old East Slavic | Русь | Rus; Ruthenia |
| 7 | Finnish | ruotsi | Swedish |
| 8 | Proto-Finnic | *roocci | — |
| 9 | Old Swedish | roþs- | related to rowing |
| 10 | Old Norse | róðr | — |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | rōþrą | oar; rudder |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁reh₁- | to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare |
Words derived from “Rousseau”