rethe

R1E1T1H4E1
/riːð//riːv/

adjective

(of persons) Fierce; cruel; savage; stern; zealous; ardent; keen.

OriginMiddle English reth ← Old English rēþe ← Proto-West Germanic *rōþī →
Scrabble 8
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectiverethe (comparative rether or more rethe, superlative rethest or most rethe)

comparative rether · comparative more rethe · superlative rethest · superlative most rethe · alternative Scotland reth · alternative Scotland reithe · alternative Scotland retht

  1. Now chiefly dialectal(of persons) Fierce; cruel; savage; stern; zealous; ardent; keen.
  2. Now chiefly dialectal(of things) Terrible; dreadful; severe.
adverbrethe (comparative rether or more rethe, superlative rethest or most rethe)

comparative rether · comparative more rethe · superlative rethest · superlative most rethe · alternative Scotland reth · alternative Scotland reithe · alternative Scotland retht

  1. Now chiefly dialectalFuriously; violently; wildly.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*rey-“to scream, shout, roar, bellow, bark, growl”
  2. Proto-Germanic*rōþijaz“wild”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*rōþī
  4. Old Englishrēþe“fierce, cruel, savage, severe, stern, austere, zealous, wild, dire”
  5. Middle Englishreth
  6. Englishrethe

From Middle English reth, rethe, from Old English rēþe (“fierce, cruel, savage, severe, stern, austere, zealous, wild, dire”), from Proto-West Germanic *rōþī, from Proto-Germanic *rōþijaz (“wild”), from Proto-Indo-European *rey- (“to scream, shout, roar, bellow, bark, growl”). Cognate with Scots reithe, reythe, reth (“rethe”), Old High German ruod (“a roar”), Middle High German rüeden (“to be noisy”), Bavarian rüeden (“to be noisy, roar, be in heat”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rethe

receivebelieveleavesteveachieveevesleeveretrievebreatheunderneathrelieveperceiveYvesweavenaivewreathconceivesheathLIVreevedeceivemeathgrieveneve
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

wreathe(th-fronting) reevereavewreathe(th-fronting) reevereave

Anagrams

therethreeetherEhretheterReeththeer
Cite this entry
APA

rethe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rethe

MLA

“rethe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rethe. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rethe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rethe.

Source: rethe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.