rooi (Afrikaans)
Where does "rooi" come from?
The Afrikaans word 'rooi' originates from the Dutch 'rood,' which traces back to the Proto-Germanic 'raudaz' and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁rewdʰ-,' meaning red. While Afrikaans typically preserves certain word endings, 'rooi' became the standard form for the adjective, likely by following the pattern of other common color terms. This long linguistic journey retains a clear connection to the ancient foundations of Germanic languages.
Full etymology tree
- rooi (Afrikaans), 'red'
- inherited rood (Dutch), 'red'
- inherited rôot (Middle Dutch), 'red'
- inherited rōt (Old Dutch), 'red'
- inherited *raud (Proto-West Germanic), 'red'
- inherited *raudaz (Proto-Germanic), 'red'
- inherited *h₁rowdʰós (Proto-Indo-European), 'red'
- derived *h₁rewdʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'red'
- suffix *-ós (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms possessive adjectives from nouns.'
- inherited *h₁rowdʰós (Proto-Indo-European), 'red'
- inherited *raudaz (Proto-Germanic), 'red'
- inherited *raud (Proto-West Germanic), 'red'
- inherited rōt (Old Dutch), 'red'
- inherited rôot (Middle Dutch), 'red'
- inherited rood (Dutch), 'red'
Ancestors
- rood (Dutch)
Descendants and derived words
- rooibos (Afrikaans)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris