Etymology
1. c.1200, from O.N.
ryðja (past tense
ruddi, past participle
ruddr) "to clear (land) of obstructions," from P.Gmc.
*reudijanan (cf. O.H.G.
riuten, Ger.
reuten "to clear land," O.Fris.
rothia "to clear," O.E.
-royd "clearing," common in northern place names). The general sense of "to make (something) free (of something else)" emerged by 1565. Senses merged somewhat with Northern Eng., Scot., and U.S. dial redd.
Riddance is attested from 1535.
2. The verb is derived from Middle English ridden (“to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear; to complete (something unfinished); to free (someone or something); to relieve (someone); etc.”), probably from Old English *ryddan (“to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear”) (the past participle form ġeryd is attested), from Proto-Germanic *riudijaną (“to clear”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewdʰ- (“to clear land”), or possibly from *Hrew- (“to dig out, tear out; to open; to acquire”). The verb was probably also influenced by the following:
3. * Middle English redden (“to rescue (someone), deliver, save; to rid (someone) of a burden; to free (someone)”) (from which redd (obsolete except Northern England, Scotland) is partly derived), from Old English hreddan (“to deliver, rescue, save; to free; to recover; to take away”), from Proto-West Germanic *hraddjan (“to rescue, save”), from Proto-Germanic *hradjaną (“to rescue, save; to free; to loosen”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“to move quickly; to rattle; to shake”); and
4. * Middle English reden (“to arrange; to get ready, prepare; to put in order, tidy; to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear; to unblock; etc.”) (whence rede (chiefly Scotland, archaic)), from Old English rǣdan, Early Old English rēdan, from Proto-West Germanic *raidijan (“to arrange”), from Proto-Germanic *raidijaną (“to arrange”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rey- (“to arrange; to count, count out”).
5. The adjective is derived from rid, the past participle of the verb. The noun is derived from the verb.
6. As regards noun etymology 1, noun sense 1 (“progress which has been made; speed”), compare verb etymology 1, verb sense 1.4.5 (“to complete or get through (a task, or work)”).
7. cognates
8. * Dutch redden (“to save, deliver”)
9. * German retten (“to save, deliver”), reuten (“to clear”), roden (“to clear”)
10. * Old Frisian hredda (“to save”)
11. * Old Norse hrōðja (“to clear, strip”), Old Norse ryðja (“to clear, empty”) See: Middle English '
ridden', Middle English '
redden', Old English '
hreddan', Proto-Germanic '
*hradjaną', Middle English '
reden', Proto-Germanic '
*raidijaną', Dutch '
redden', German, old spelling '
retten'.
Verbs referencing "rid"
English
rod, German, old spelling
roden.