ruse

ruse · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromrecūsāre
2. Latin · derived fromrursus“backward; on the contrary; again, in return”
3. Old French · derived fromrëuse
4. Middle English · derived fromrūse“evasive movements of a pursued animal; circuitous course taken by a hunter to pursue a game animal”
5. English todayruse

From Middle English rūse (“evasive movements of a pursued animal; circuitous course taken by a hunter to pursue a game animal”), from Old French rëuse, ruse (“evasive movements of a pursued animal; trickery”) (modern French ruse (“trick, ruse; cunning, guile”)), from ruser (“to use cunning, to be crafty, beguile”), possibly from Latin rursus (“backward; on the contrary; again, in return”) or Latin recūsāre, from recūsō (“to decline, refuse; to object to, protest, reject”). Doublet of recuse and rouse in the latter case. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare Middle French ruser (“to use cunning, to be crafty, beguile”); see further above.

Ruse · proper noun²

1. Ancient Greekῥοῦς (rhoûs)der.?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁rewdʰ-
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁rudʰ-tós
4. Proto-Italic*russos
5. Latinrussusder.?
6. Proto-Slavic*rusъder.?
7. BulgarianРусе (Ruse)
8. English todayRuse

Borrowed from Bulgarian Русе (Ruse).

Ruse · proper noun³

* As an English surname, variant of Rouse, Rowse. * As a German surname, variant of Reuss, Reusse. * As a Czech surname, Americanized from Rus (“Russian”).

Words from the same roots