Etymograph

English

redness

Redness comes from Old English rēad ‘red’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rewdʰ-1‘red’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rowdʰós1‘red’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raudaz1‘red’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raud1‘red’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150rēad2‘red’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150rēadnes3
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reednes3
  8. Englishtodayredness3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English read
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English readnes
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English redness

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rewdʰ-Wiktionary, Old English read‘red’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rowdʰósWiktionary, Old English read‘red’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raudazWiktionary, Old English read‘red’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raudWiktionary, Old English read‘red’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150rēadWiktionary, Old English readnes‘red’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150rēadnesWiktionary, English redness
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reednesWiktionary, English redness
  8. EnglishtodayrednessWiktionary, English redness

Formed from red + -ness

Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-

…

Proto-Germanic *raudaz

Proto-West Germanic *raud

Old English rēad

Middle English red ‘red’

English red

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- ‘red’

ruby, rust, rowan, rouse, roux, ruddy, corroborate, russel, rubric, roan, rubella, erythema, robusta, russet, rud, ruddock, 34 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁rowdʰós ‘red’

rufous, 3 more

through Old English rēad ‘red’

red, reddish

Today it means

noun The state or quality of being red.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “redness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old English read, Old English readnes. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- / redness

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