ruddy

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. adjective inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life
  2. adjective of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies

Etymology

From Middle English ruddy, rody, rudi, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu (“redness”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.

In classic literature

Synonyms

rubicund, florid, sanguine

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