etymonline logo
  • Columns
  • Forum
  • Apps
  • Premium




ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
logologo

Quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words. Scholarly, yet simple.

About

  • Who Did This
  • Sources
  • Introduction
  • Links

Support

  • Premium
  • Patreon
  • Donate with PayPal
  • Merch

Apps

Terms of ServicesPrivacy Policy

© 2001 - 2026 Douglas Harper
Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of rutter


rutter(n.)

c. 1500, "trooper, dragoon, horse-soldier," from Old French routier "a highwayman," also "experienced soldier," a word taken into Old French from Medieval Latin ruptarius, rutarius, a name for a band of irregular soldiers or mercenaries, from Vulgar Latin rupta "a dispersed group," literally "a broken group," from noun use of Latin rupta, fem. past participle of rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.)).

The French word also is the source of Dutch ruiter, German Reuter "trooper, horseman." In French partly conformed to route, and in German to Reiter "rider;" Ritter "knight." Related: Rutterkin "swaggering gallant, bully" (1520s).

also from c. 1500

Entries linking to rutter


rupture(n.)

late 14c., in medicine, "act of bursting or breaking," in reference to a vessel, etc. of the body, from Old French rupture and directly from Latin ruptura "the breaking (of a vein), fracture (of an arm or leg)," from past-participle stem of rumpere "to break" (from PIE root *runp- "to break;" see corrupt (adj.)).

Specifically as "abdominal hernia" from early 15c. The sense of "breach of friendly relations or concord" is by 1580s; the general sense of "act or fact of breaking or bursting" is by 1640s. Rupturewort (1590s) was held to be efficacious in treating hernias, etc.

Reuters(n.)

news service begun in London 1851 by Baron Paul Julius von Reuter (1816-1899), who in Aachen in 1849 had founded a telegraph office and pigeon post bureau. For the surname, see rutter.

    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    More to explore


    dentist
    Dentist figures it now in our newspapers, and may do well enough for a French puffer, but we fancy Rutter is content with...
    route
    c. 1200, "a way, a road, space for passage," from Old French rute "road, way, path" (12c.), from Latin rupta (via) "(a road) opened by force," broken or cut through a forest, etc., from rupta, fem. past participle of rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.)). The sense of "fixed or r
    saloon
    1728, an Englished or otherwise deformed variant of salon (q.v.), and originally meaning the same, "spacious room set apart for reception of company or artistic display." The specific sense of "large hall in a public place for entertainment or amusement" is from 1747; especially
    comprehend
    mid-14c., "to understand, take into the mind, grasp by understanding," late 14c., "to take in, include;" from Latin comprehendere "to take together, to unite; include; seize" (of catching fire or the arrest of criminals); also "to comprehend, perceive" (to seize or take in the mi
    desire
    "to wish or long for, express a wish to obtain," c. 1200, desiren, from Old French desirrer (12c.) "wish, desire, long for," from Latin desiderare "long for, wish for; demand, expect," the original sense perhaps being "await what the stars will bring," from the phrase de sidere "
    phobia
    "irrational fear, horror, or aversion; fear of an imaginary evil or undue fear of a real one," 1786, perhaps based on a similar use in French, abstracted from compounds in -phobia, the word-forming element from Greek phobos "fear, panic fear, terror, outward show of fear; object
    artificial
    late 14c., "not natural or spontaneous," from Old French artificial, from Latin artificialis "of or belonging to art," from artificium "a work of art; skill; theory, system," from artifex (genitive artificis) "craftsman, artist, master of an art" (music, acting, sculpting, etc.),
    dust
    "fine, dry particles of earth or other matter so light that they can be raised and carried by the wind," Old English dust, from Proto-Germanic *dunstaz (source also of Old High German tunst "storm, breath," German Dunst "mist, vapor," Danish dyst "milldust," Dutch duist), from PI
    Tuesday
    third day of the week, Old English tiwesdæg, from Tiwes, genitive of Tiw "Tiu," from Proto-Germanic *Tiwaz "god of the sky," the original supreme deity of ancient Germanic mythology, differentiated specifically as Tiu, ancient Germanic god of war, from PIE *deiwos "god," from roo
    iniquity
    c. 1300, "hostility, malevolence; a hostile action," from Old French iniquité, iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.), from Latin iniquitatem (nominative iniquitas) "unequalness, unevenness," figuratively "unfavorableness, unfairness, injustice," noun of quality fr

    Share rutter


    Page URL:
    HTML Link:
    APA Style:
    Chicago Style:
    MLA Style:
    IEEE Style:
    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Trending

    Dictionary entries near rutter

    • rutabaga
    • Ruth
    • Ruthenian
    • ruthenium
    • ruthless
    • rutter
    • ruttish
    • Ruy Lopez
    • RV
    • Rwanda
    • -ry
    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.