Etymology

rough

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Today it means: Not smooth; uneven. Full definition →

Middle English rough ← Old English rūg ← Proto-Germanic *rūhaz
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rough · adjective, noun, verb, adverb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*rūhaz
  2. Old English · inherited fromrūg
  3. Middle English · inherited fromrough
  4. English todayrough

From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz. Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).

Rough · proper noun2

English and Scottish surname, variant of Ruff, itself of several origins: * From the adjective rough * Variant of Roof, Roff, Rolfe * Scots pronunciation of Rock * German variant of Ruf, itself shortened from Rudolf.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.