Etymology

ruthful

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Today it means: Full of sorrow; sorrowful; woeful; rueful. Full definition →

Middle English reuþful ← 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. Old Norsehrygðinflu.
  7. Middle Englishreuþe
  8. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*pl̥h₁nós
  10. Proto-Germanic*fullaz
  11. Middle Englishreuþful
  12. English todayruthful

From Middle English reuþful, reuthful, reowthful, equivalent to ruth + -ful.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.