Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rude” come from?

Rude comes from Middle English rude, from Old French rude, from Latin rudis meaning rough or unlearned, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rew-.

rude (English): Bad-mannered; Somewhat obscene, pornographic,...

Definitions

  1. Bad-mannered; Somewhat obscene, pornographic,...

Ancestry of “rude”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrude—
2Old Frenchrude—
3Latinrudisrough, raw, uncultivated; unrefined, unskilled,...
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrew-to tear out, dig out, open, acquire

Words derived from “rude”

  • rudesby
  • rudery
  • rudeboy
  • unrude
  • ruden
  • rudie
  • rudity
  • rudeling
  • rudesome
  • overrude
  • rudeful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hrew- →