Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rough-and-tumble” come from?

rough-and-tumble (English) comes from English rough, from English ruff, from German Ruf, from Middle High German ruof, from Old High German ruof, from Old High German ruofan, from Proto-West Germanic hrōpan, from Proto-Germanic hrōpaną — army.

rough-and-tumble (English): active, vigorous and rough, with the possibility...

Definitions

  1. active, vigorous and rough, with the possibility...

Ancestry of “rough-and-tumble”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishroughNot smooth; uneven; Approximate; hasty or...
2EnglishruffA circular frill or ruffle on a garment,...
3GermanRufcall; reputation
4Middle High Germanruof—
5Old High Germanruof—
6Old High Germanruofanto call
7Proto-West Germanichrōpanto cry out, to call, to shout
8Proto-Germanichrōpanąto cry out, call, shout
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
11Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →