GD 1088          RUTSEN

H 0841             ץ ו ר

Concept of root : running (off)

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ץ ו ר

א צ ר

ruts

rats'à

to run

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

      ץ ו ר

      א צ ר

ruts

rats'à

to run

r . w . ts

Middle Dutch

rutsen, ritsen

rutsen, ritsen

to run (off)

r (u) ts,

r (i) ts

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RUTS --- *RŬTS Middle Dutch < *RŪTS- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The English verb "to rush" may be related to the words of this entry. But it is seen as coming from Anglo-Norman "rusher", itself derived from Old French "russer", that is without any clear Latin origin. The idea is that of an animal fleeing from a hunter and making detours to fool him. Latin has a verbal form "rursus sum" that in Old Latin was also "russus sum", used to say "to fall back, retreat" but also "to recover", messages far away from "to rush".

 

The original meaning in both West Germanic and Hebrew seems to be that of running off. In modern Hebrew this has become "to run" in general, though in the causative form there still is " ה ר י ץ , hérits" = "to chase away, to make run off". In the form "ל ר ו ץ , laruts = to run" one recognizes the pronunciation with "U" that is nearer to Germanic.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic is seen with the same root we have in Hebrew "*ר ו ץ , R W TS". Important for the comparison with Dutch is that in Proto-Semitic also the meaning of "to run off (for help)" is considered. The root has a cognate in Aramaic and Syriac "ר ה ט , rehath = he ran". This same root "R H TH" is present with the same meaning also in Hebrew, but is considered a loan from Aramaic. An identical root gives a noun for "watering trough". Ethiopian has "retsà = he ran", in which, as in many forms of the Hebrew verb, there is no more the "waw". The same is the case in the Hebrew verb "ר צ א, rats'à = to run"

 

Note:
  • Hebrew and Dutch. The vowel A in the Hebrew verb is not too significant for the comparison. Other forms have other vowels, such as in "rowets" or "hérits".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. These Middle Dutch words were mainly used in the southern parts of the Dutch language territory. "Ritsen" should be the newer form, "rutsen" the older one.

     

    In a development that is seen also in German "rutschen" , the version with U has acquired a specific message, that of "sliding", and also sliding away". Germans wish each other at the end of the year " Guten Rutsch" that is a "pleasant slide (into the New Year)".

     

    Some see a sound-imitation in "rutschen", but they are misled by the modern use of this root for sliding on a slide. Anyhow no " R " is heard in such a sound of children sliding.

     :

    The information is limited, but it is possible that Proto-Germanic had a form similar to Hebrew : "*R Ū TS".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 01/01/2013 at 14.41.26