rug

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*rawwō“long wool”
2. Old Norse · derived fromrǫgg“shagginess, tuft”
3. Middle English · inherited from*rugge
4. English todayrug

Uncertain; probably of North Germanic origin; perhaps inherited via Middle English *rugge (suggested by Middle English ruggy (“hairy, shaggy, bristly”) and rugged (“hairy, shaggy, rugged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“shagginess, tuft”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwō (“long wool”), probably related to *rūhaz (“rough”), related to English rag and rough. Cognate with dialectal Norwegian rugga (“coarse coverlet”), Swedish rugg (“rough entangled hair”), related to English rag and rough. Compare also Old English rȳhe (“rug, rough covering, blanket”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 1624 A partial covering for a floor.
• 1591 A (usually thick) piece of fabric used for warmth (especially on a bed); a blanket.
• 1547 A kind of coarse, heavy frieze, formerly used for clothing.
• 1577 A cloak or mantle made of such a frieze.
• 1627 A person wearing a rug.
• 1790 A cloth covering for a horse.
• 1792 A dense layer of natural vegetation that precludes the growth of crops.
• 1893 The female pubic hair.