ruddy

CEFRB2

/ˈɹʌdi/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Having a healthy red color in the face or skin.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    A mild intensifier, expressing irritation.

Examples

  • My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.

  • My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Robust and vigorous, like a person with a red complexion (as compared to a pale one).

  2. Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A ruddy duck.

More examples

In context

  • The sunset ruddied our faces.

  • in ruddy health

  • Drystone walls, farm buildings and stone cottages, roofed with ruddy tiles, line the way and blend gently into the surrounding countryside.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After jogging in the cold wind without a scarf, his cheeks became blank and felt warm.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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