rot German · revision 35159

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German|origins=ine-pro *h₁rowdʰós}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /roːt/, [ʁoːt(ʰ)], [roːt]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Colloquial: [ɣoːtʰ]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''rot''' (strong nominative masculine singular roter, comparative röter or roter, superlative am rötesten or am rotesten)^(Wiktionary)

+ The spelling ''roth'', with a lengthening ''h'', was usual until the late 19th century; the Grimms' dictionary notes that the historical ''rot'' was then coming back.^(DWB|14, 1287)

+ The comparative is ''röter'', less often ''roter''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|rōt]], [[inh|goh|rōt]], [[inh|gem-pro|*raudaz|t=red]].^(Kluge 2011|773)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) The same adjective is [[got|𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃|tr=rauþs]], [[non|rauðr]], [[ang|rēad]], [[ofs|rād]] and [[osx|rōd]], and it lives on in [[nl|rood]], [[en|red]] and [[sv|röd]].^(Kluge 2011|773)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ Kroonen takes the Germanic adjective as an o-grade formation, [[ine-pro|*h₁rowdʰós]], from the root [[ine-pro|*h₁rewdʰ-|t=red]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) Kluge notes that the family shows strong ablaut both in Germanic and outside it: on the same grade stand, or may stand, [[la|rūfus|t=reddish]], [[sga|rúad]], [[lt|raũdas|t=reddish brown]] the dialectal [[ru|рудой|tr=rudój|t=blood-red]].^(Kluge 2011|773)^(Pfeifer 1993) Other grades appear in [[grc|ἐρυθρός|tr=eruthrós|t=red]] and [[sa|रुधिर|tr=rudhirá|t=red, bloody]], and the ordinary Latin word for the colour, [[m|la|ruber]], is an ablaut variant as well.^(Kluge 2011|773)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|702) Pfeifer calls it probably the oldest and most widespread colour word of the Indo-European languages.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''rōt'' is recorded from the 8th century, in glosses and in Tatian, Otfrid, Notker, the Murbach Hymns and Williram, meaning “red”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Schützeichel 2012|264) In Middle High German ''rōt'' could also mean “false, cunning”, and was used of red hair.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul notes that, as with other colour words, the sense was at first less sharply bounded than today: fire, gold and copper were called red (hence ''keinen roten Heller'' “not a red farthing” and ''Rotgießer'' “coppersmith”), and so is hair that is not really red.^(Paul 2002) Red wine and blood are among the oldest uses in the Grimms' quotations.^(DWB|14, 1287)

+

+ In politics red was first the colour of war, after the colour of blood, and then of revolutionary and radical opinion;^(Paul 2002) Paul quotes Freiligrath's line ''und uns're fahn ist roth!'' (“and our flag is red!”).^(Paul 2002) The Duden dictionary explains the sense “left-wing, socialist, communist” by the red flag of the labour movement.^(Duden GWDS 1999) In the GDR ''rote Socke'' was a mocking name for a loyal party member, and ''Rot-Grün'', the coalition of the SPD and the Greens, was the word of the year 1998.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Turning red with embarrassment, ''rot werden'', is recorded from late Middle High German, in Konrad von Megenberg, and ''erröten'' from the 16th century.^(Paul 2002) The phrase ''ein rotes Tuch'' comes from the cloth used to provoke the bull in a bullfight and is recorded only in modern times (Bismarck).^(Paul 2002) The Hungarian word [[m|hu|rőt|t=reddish (of hair)]], recorded in 1350, is listed as a borrowing from German.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''rōt'' is first recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|773)

+ * 1350 – Hungarian ''rőt'', a German loan, is first recorded.^(LWP)

+ * Late Middle High German – Konrad von Megenberg uses ''rot werden'' of blushing.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – The verb ''erröten'' “to blush” appears; the plural ''Röteln'' (German measles) dates from the second half of the century.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1998 – ''Rot-Grün'', for the coalition of the SPD and the Greens, is word of the year.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|red|alt=Red]], of the colour of blood: ''ein roter Schal'' “a red scarf”, ''roter Wein'' “red wine”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Red in the face from shame or embarrassment, in ''rot werden'' “to [[m|en|blush]]”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(politics)'' Belonging to the left: [[m|en|communist]], [[m|en|socialist]] or social democratic; in Germany especially of the SPD or the Left party.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(sometimes offensive)'' [[m|en|red-haired|alt=Red-haired]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Rot]]

+ * [[Röte]]

+ * [[röten]]

+ * [[erröten]]

+ * [[Rötel]]

+ * [[Röteln]]

+ * [[rötlich]]

+ * [[Rotauge]]

+ * [[Rotkehlchen]]

+ * [[Rotwild]]

+ * [[Rotwein]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Rost#2]]

+ * [[Rubin]]

+ * [[Rubrik]]

+ * [[en|red]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Rot sehen'' is “to see red, become furious”, and ''ein rotes Tuch für jemanden sein'' is to be something that infuriates a person.^(Paul 2002) The proverb ''heute rot, morgen tot'' (“red today, dead tomorrow”) says that death can come suddenly, probably with reference to rosy cheeks.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Rot'' (neuter) is the noun “red, the colour red”, also the suit of hearts in the German pack of cards.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}