Where does “ruddy duck” come from?
ruddy duck (English) comes from English ruddy, from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
ruddy duck (English): "Oxyura jamaicensis", a small stifftail duck, the...
Definitions
- "Oxyura jamaicensis", a small stifftail duck, the...
Ancestry of “ruddy duck”, step by step
ruddy duck traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ruddy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ruddy | Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire,... |
| 2 | Middle English | rody | ruddy |
| 3 | Old English | rudiġ | reddish; ruddy |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |