redd

redd · verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hradjaną“to loosen, set free, save”
2. Middle Low German · derived fromredden
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*rudjaną
4. Old Norse · derived fromryðja“to clear, free, empty”
5. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hradjaną
6. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hraddjan
7. Old English · inherited fromhreddan“to save, deliver, recover, rescue”
8. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*garaidijaną“to arrange”
9. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*garaidijan
10. Old English · inherited fromġerǣdan“to put in order, arrange, prepare”
11. Middle English · inherited fromreden“to clean up, to clear”
12. English todayredd

Fusion of Middle English reden (“to clean up, to clear”) and redden (“to save, rescue, deliver, rid, free, clear”). The former is from Old English ġerǣdan (“to put in order, arrange, prepare”), from Proto-West Germanic *garaidijan, from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną (“to arrange”); the latter, from Old English hreddan (“to save, deliver, recover, rescue”), from Proto-West Germanic *hraddjan, from Proto-Germanic *hradjaną. More at rid and ready. The Scottish and Northern English senses (especially 3.5 “tidy up, clear away”) are likely from Old Norse ryðja (“to clear, free, empty”), from Proto-Germanic *rudjaną, having conflated with the native word reden (see above); if so, that would make them related to Danish and Norwegian Bokmål rydde (“to clear, tidy”). The Pennsylvania (Dutch English) sense is from Middle Low German redden, cognate with Dutch redden (“to save, rescue”), both ultimately also from Proto-Germanic *hradjaną (“to loosen, set free, save”). The meaning is clearly historically conflated and related to the native English word, however their exact origin and relationship are unclear.

redd · noun²

Origin obscure, possibly from the act of the fish scooping, clearing out a spawning place, see redd above.

redd · verb³

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Words from the same roots