rock

rock · noun, verb¹

1. Medieval Latinroccabor.?
2. Old English*rocc
3. Early Medieval Latinrocca
4. Anglo-Normanroque
5. Middle Englishrokke
6. English todayrock

Inherited from Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish) origin (compare Breton roc'h). Related also to Middle Low German rocke (“rock ledge”). One suggestion is that it derives from Vulgar Latin *rupica, from rupes (compare rupico).

rock · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*h₃ruknéh₂ti
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*rukkōną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*rokkōn
4. Old English · inherited fromroccian
5. Middle English · inherited fromrokken
6. English todayrock

Inherited from Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian, from Proto-West Germanic *rokkōn, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ruknéh₂ti, from *h₃rewk-, *h₃runk-. See also obsolete Dutch rokken, Middle High German rocken (“to drag, jerk”), Modern German rücken (“to move, shift”), Icelandic rukka (“to yank”); also Latin runcāre (“to weed”), Latvian rũķēt (“to toss, dig”).

rock · noun, verb³

Shortened from rock and roll. Since the meaning of rock has adapted to mean a simpler, more modern, metal-like genre, rock and roll has generally been left referring to earlier forms such as that originating in the 1950s, notably more swing-oriented style.

rock · noun⁴

1. Old Norse · derived fromrokkr
2. Middle Low German · derived fromrocken
3. Middle Dutch · derived fromrocke
4. Middle English · derived fromrok
5. English todayrock

From Middle English rok, rocke, rokke, perhaps from Middle Dutch rocke (whence Dutch rokken), Middle Low German rocken, or Old Norse rokkr (whence Icelandic / Faroese rokkur, Danish rok, Swedish spinnrock (“spinning wheel”)). Cognate with Old High German rocko (“distaff”).

Rock · proper noun⁵

1. Old Norse · derived fromrokkr“distaff”
2. Middle English · derived fromatter
3. English todayRock

* As an English surname, from the noun rock. Compare Roach. * Also as an English surname, misdivision of Middle English atter oke (“at the oak”). Compare Nock. * As an English occupational surname, from Old Norse rokkr (“distaff”). Compare Rocker. * As an Irish surname, translated from names like Mac Conchairge (“son of the hound of the rock”), from cú + carraig, see also McHarg. * As a German surname Röck, variant of the personal name Rocco, see Roche. * Also as a German surname, from the noun Rock (“skirt gown”). * As a French surname, shortened from Roquebrune, Rocquebrune (see Rocque) or Larock. Compare Roch.

Words from the same roots