Where does “ruse” come from?
Ruse comes from Middle English rūse, from Old French ruse and ruser meaning to turn back or dodge, derived from Latin rursus (turned back), formed from re- (back) and vertere (to turn), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
ruse (English): A turning or doubling back, especially of animals...
Definitions
- A turning or doubling back, especially of animals...
Ancestry of “ruse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rūse | evasive movements of a pursued animal; circuitous... |
| 2 | Old French | rëuse | — |
| 3 | Old French | ruser | to use cunning, to be crafty, beguile |
| 4 | Latin | rursus | backward, turned back; on the contrary; in... |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | — |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | — |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “ruse”