Where does “roughshod” come from?
Roughshod comes from English rough plus shod, with rough deriving from Middle English rou, Old English rūh, Proto-Germanic rūhwaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots related to bristling or standing up.
roughshod (English): Of a horse: having hooves shod with calks or...
Definitions
- Of a horse: having hooves shod with calks or...
Ancestry of “roughshod”, step by step
roughshod traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rough
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rough | Not smooth; uneven; Approximate; hasty or... |
| 2 | English | ruff | A circular frill or ruffle on a garment,... |
| 3 | German | Ruf | call; reputation |
| 4 | Middle High German | ruof | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ruof | — |
| 6 | Old High German | ruofan | to call |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | hrōpan | to cry out, to call, to shout |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hrōpaną | to cry out, call, shout |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English shod
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shod | Wearing shoes; Having tires equipped; simple past... |
| 2 | Middle English | shoed | — |
| 3 | Middle English | shon | To shoe; to insert shoes onto feet; To insert... |
| 4 | Czech | sehnat | to find, to get |
| 5 | Czech | hnát | to drive; to chase; to drive, propel, power |
| 6 | Old Czech | hnáti | to drive |
| 7 | Proto-Slavic | gъnati | to chase, to persecute |
| 8 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | gúntei | to chase |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰénti | to be striking down, killing, slaying |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |