rethe

Alternative forms

• reth, reithe, retht (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English rethe, from Old English rēþe (“fierce, cruel, savage, severe, stern, austere, zealous, wild, dire”), from Proto-Germanic *rōþijaz (“wild”), from Proto-Indo-European *rei-, *rēy- (“to scream, shout, roar, bellow, bark, growl”). Cognate with Scots reithe, reythe, reth (“rethe”), Old High German ruod (“a roar”), Middle High German rüeden (“to be noisy”), Bavarian rüeden (“to be noisy, roar, be in heat”).

Adjective

rethe (comparative rether or more rethe, superlative rethest or most rethe)

1. (Now chiefly dialectal) (of persons) Fierce; cruel; savage; stern; zealous; ardent; keen.
2. (Now chiefly dialectal) (of things) Terrible; dreadful; severe.

Adverb

rethe (comparative rether or more rethe, superlative rethest or most rethe)

1. (Now chiefly dialectal) Furiously; violently; wildly.

Anagrams

• Ehret, Ether, Reeth, ether, theer, there, three