ruddock

R1U1D2D2O1C3K5
/ˈɹʌdək/

noun

The European robin.

OriginMiddle English ruddocke ← Old English rudduc →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

ruddock1

nounruddock (plural ruddocks)

plural ruddocks · alternative reddock · alternative raddock · alternative ruddoc · alternative rudock

  1. archaicThe European robin.

    The Ouzell shrills; the Ruddock warbles soft.

    1595, Edmund Spenser, Epithalamion
    1 more example

    The sweet And shrilly ruddock, with its bleeding breast

    1827, Thomas Hood, The Plea of the Midsummer Fairies
  2. obsoleteA piece of gold money (probably because the gold of coins was often reddened by copper alloy).

    Great pieces of gold […] red ruddocks.

    1611, John Florio, Queen Anna's New World of Words, or Dictionarie of the Italian and English tongues
  3. obsoleteA variety of red apple, used for cidermaking.

Ruddock2

proper nounRuddock (plural Ruddocks)

plural Ruddocks · alternative Rudick

  1. A surname.
  2. A ghost town in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States, destroyed by a hurricane.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
robin

Origin

  1. Old Englishrudduc
  2. Middle Englishruddocke
  3. Englishruddock

From Middle English ruddocke, ruddok, roddok, from Old English rudduc, ruduc (“robin, ruddock”, literally “little red one, red-ling”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -ock (diminutive suffix). The Welsh rhuddog, and Cornish rudhek (“the redbreast”) are probably from the English, although a derivation from a British Celtic *roudākos (< *roudos "red") for all three cannot be ruled out. More at rud.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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