rice

rice · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-Iranian*wriHǰʰíš
2. Proto-Iranian*wriHǰíš
3. Proto-Iranian*wrinǰiš
4. Ancient Greekὄρῡζα (órūza)
5. Late Latinoryza
6. Old Italianriso
7. Old Frenchris
8. Middle Englishrys
9. English todayrice

From Middle English rys, from Old French ris, from Old Italian riso, risi, from Medieval Greek ὄρυζα (óruza), from an Eastern Iranian language related to Middle Persian blnc (*brinǰ), Northern Kurdish riz (beyond Euphrates) and Zazaki riz. Theorized to have come to Iranian languages from Sanskrit व्रीहि (vrīhi). Prior to Sanskrit, it is speculated to be possibly a borrowing from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wariñci (“rice”)), or from Austroasiatic languages further east. Alternatively Medieval Greek ὄρυζα (óruza) is said to be from Hebrew אורז (órez), from South Arabian areez ultimately from Old Tamil 𑀅𑀭𑀺𑀘𑀺 (arici). Doublet of arroz.

rice · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*(s)kreys-“to turn; bend; wind; move; shake”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hrīsą“bush; twig”
3. Old English · inherited fromhrīs“branch; twig”
4. Middle English · inherited fromris
5. English todayrice

From Middle English ris, rys, from Old English hrīs (“branch; twig”), from Proto-Germanic *hrīsą (“bush; twig”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreys- (“to turn; bend; wind; move; shake”). Cognate with Scots reise, rice (“twigs; brushwood”), West Frisian riis, rys, Dutch rijs (“little branch; twig; osier; whip”), German Low German Ries, German Reis (“twig; sprig; shoot”), Swedish ris (“twigs; brush; rod”), Icelandic hrís.

Rice · proper noun³

1. French · derived fromris“smile, laughter”
2. Old English · derived fromhris“brushwood, shrubbery”
3. Welsh · borrowed fromRhys
4. English todayRice

* As a Welsh surname, borrowed from Welsh Rhys, an Anglicization. Compare Reese, Freese, Price, and Preece. * As an English surname, from Old English hris (“brushwood, shrubbery”). * Also as an English surname, from a nickname through Middle English and Anglo-Norman from French ris (“smile, laughter”). * Also as an occupational English surname, from the noun rice. * As as German surname, Americanized from Reis (“shoot, twig”), related to the Old English word above. Compare Ries.

Words from the same roots