Where does “Rus” come from?
Rus (Polish) comes from Old East Slavic Русь, from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old Swedish roþs-, from Old Norse róðr, from Proto-Germanic rōþrą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.
Rus (Polish): Rus, Kievan Rus
Definitions
- Rus, Kievan Rus
Ancestry of “Rus”, step by step
Rus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old East Slavic Русь
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | Русь | Rus; Ruthenia |
| 2 | Finnish | ruotsi | Swedish |
| 3 | Proto-Finnic | *roocci | Swede originally anyone from Roslagen |
| 4 | Old Swedish | roþs- | related to rowing |
| 5 | Old Norse | róðr | rowing |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rōþrą | oar; rudder |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁reh₁- | to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare |
via Polish rusy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | rusy | fair |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | rusъ | fair, blonde; yellow, red, light-colored |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | rudsъ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁rowdʰ-s-o- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁rewdʰ- | red |