Where does “rubric” come from?
Rubric comes from Middle English rubrik, from Old French rubrique, from Latin rubrica meaning red ochre or red earth, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁rewdʰ- meaning red.
rubric (English): A heading in a book highlighted in red; A title...
Definitions
- A heading in a book highlighted in red; A title...
Ancestry of “rubric”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | rubriche | — |
| 2 | Middle French | rubrique | — |
| 3 | Old French | rubrique | red clay; title of a chapter |
| 4 | Latin | rubrīca | red ochre, ruddle red earth for coloring |
| 5 | Latin | ruber | red approximately like red ochre (which had a traditional status among the Romans); red that was both common and dignified, somewhat associated with pigment |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | ruðros | red |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁rudʰrós | red |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁rewdʰ- | red |