Where does “rugged” come from?
Rugged derives from Middle English -ed, Old English -od, and Proto-Indo-European h₃rewk-, h₃er-, and -tós, though the precise semantic development remains unclear.
rugged (English): Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven;...
Definitions
- Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven;...
Ancestry of “rugged”, step by step
rugged traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rug
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rug | A partial covering for a floor; A piece of... |
| 2 | Middle English | rugge | ridge |
| 3 | Old Norse | rǫgg | shagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rūhaz | rough |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rewk- | to dig; to till |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃er- | to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,... |
via Middle English rugged
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rugged | upright like a spine, rigid |