Etymograph

English

rug

Rug may come from Middle English *rugge.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*rugge1uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1577rug1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rug
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed; Richarde Stanyhurst , The Historie of Irelande […]: “They spin the choicest rug in Ireland. A friend…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*ruggeWiktionary, English ruguncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1577rugWiktionary, English rug. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed; Richarde Stanyhurst , The Historie of Irelande […]: “They spin the choicest rug in Ireland. A friend…”

The story

Uncertain; probably of North Germanic origin; perhaps inherited via Middle English *rugge (suggested by Middle English ruggy (‘hairy, shaggy, bristly’) and rugged (‘hairy, shaggy, rugged’)), from Old Norse rǫgg (‘shagginess, tuft’), from Proto-Germanic *rawwō (‘long wool’), probably related to *rūhaz (‘rough’), related to English rag and rough.disputed Scholars disagree here; the competing view is quoted as the source gives it.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Old Norse rǫgg ‘shagginess, tuft’

rag, rugged, 1 more

Today it means

noun A partial covering for a floor.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rug”. 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 / Middle English *rugge / rug

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