Etymograph

English

roach

Roach comes from Old French roche ‘rock’, from Middle Low German roche ‘ray (fish)’, and ultimately from Old Saxon *rūh.

  1. Old Saxonc. 800–1200*rūh1reconstructed
  2. Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600roche1‘ray (fish)’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400roche1‘rock’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500roche1
  5. Englishtodayroach1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English roach

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Saxonc. 800–1200*rūhWiktionary, English roachreconstructed
  2. Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600rocheWiktionary, English roach‘ray (fish)’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400rocheWiktionary, English roach‘rock’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rocheWiktionary, English roach
  5. EnglishtodayroachWiktionary, English roach

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *rūhaz ‘rough’

rough, 1 more

through Middle English roche

roche, 1 more

Today it means

noun Certain members of the fish family Cyprinidae, including: Any fish of species in the genus Rutilus, especially

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “roach”. 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 / Old Saxon *rūh / roach

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