Etymograph

English

rood

Rood comes from Middle English rode ‘cross’, from Proto-Germanic *rōdō ‘rod, pole’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rōt-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*rōt-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rōdō1‘rod, pole’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rōd1‘cross’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rode1‘cross’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1577rood1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rood
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed; Richarde Stanyhurst , Richard Stanihurst]: “The Citizens in their rage, imagining that euery poſt…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*rōt-Wiktionary, English roodreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rōdōWiktionary, English rood‘rod, pole’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rōdWiktionary, English rood‘cross’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rodeWiktionary, English rood‘cross’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1577roodWiktionary, English rood. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed; Richarde Stanyhurst , Richard Stanihurst]: “The Citizens in their rage, imagining that euery poſt…”

The story

Largely displaced by cross.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Middle English rode ‘cross’

road, 1 more

Today it means

noun A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rood”. 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 *rōt- / rood

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