Etymology

rueful

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Today it means: Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way. Full definition →

Middle English reuful ← Proto-Germanic *fullaz ← Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic*hrewwaną
  2. Proto-West Germanic*hreuwan
  3. Proto-West Germanic*hreuwu
  4. Old Englishhrēow
  5. Middle Englishrewe
  6. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*pl̥h₁nós
  8. Proto-Germanic*fullaz
  9. Middle Englishreuful
  10. English todayrueful

From Middle English ruful, rewful. By surface analysis, rue + -ful.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.