Etymology

ruddock

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Today it means: The European robin. Full definition →

Middle English ruddocke ← Old English rudduc
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromrudduc
  2. Middle English · inherited fromruddocke
  3. English todayruddock

From Middle English ruddocke, ruddok, roddok, from Old English rudduc, ruduc (“robin, ruddock”, literally “little red one, red-ling”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -ock (diminutive suffix). The Welsh rhuddog, and Cornish rudhek (“the redbreast”) are probably from the English, although a derivation from a British Celtic *roudākos (< *roudos "red") for all three cannot be ruled out. More at rud.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.