Nearby Words

ruddy

[ruhd-ee] Example Sentences Origin

rud·dy

[ruhd-ee] adjective, -di·er, -di·est, adverb
adjective
1.
of or having a fresh, healthy red color: a ruddy complexion.
2.
red or reddish.
3.
British Slang. damned: a ruddy fool.
adverb
4.
British Slang. damned: He'd ruddy well better be there.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Ruddy is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Origin:
before 1100; Middle English rudi, Old English rudig. See rudd, -y1

rud·di·ly, adverb
rud·di·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To ruddy
Example Sentences
  • And blue, gray or amber frames help tone down ruddy complexions.
  • His portly figure and ruddy face suggest that he is no stranger to either of these items.
  • Many vessels were left unglazed to show off the ruddy color of natural terracotta.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
ruddy (ˈrʌdɪ)
 
adj , -dier, -diest
1.  (of the complexion) having a healthy reddish colour, usually resulting from an outdoor life
2.  coloured red or pink: a ruddy sky
 
adv, —adj
3.  (intensifier) bloody; damned: a ruddy fool
 
[Old English rudig, from rudu redness (see rudd); related to Old High German rotred1, Swedish rod, Old Norse rythga to make rusty]
 
'ruddily
 
adv
 
'ruddiness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ruddy
O.E. rudig, probably from rudu "redness," related to read "red" (see red). As a British slang euphemism for bloody (q.v.), first recorded 1914.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature