English word origin

Etymology of Roof

Calque of Mandarin 危宿 (Wēixiù).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A Chinese constellation located near Aquarius and Pegasus, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Calque of Mandarin 危宿 (Wēixiù).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Calque mention危宿cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "calque",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "危宿",
        "tr": "Wēixiù"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Mandarin 危宿 (Wēixiù)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "危宿",
      "危宿#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese constellation located near Aquarius and Pegasus, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7f2c6305cf1d5f8f4c90f9281bb5172310bd27f43a7a00f610c5cb885abe2dca",
      "rawRecordSha256": "657f29e24700313824c24e26706a2216f844238370ab8789dd267efeb65e89d3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4753782
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Rolfe. * As a German surname, from a personal name ultimately derived from Proto-West Germanic *hrōþi (“fame, glory, renown”); also Americanized from Ruff, itself shortened from Rudolf (and from the same root).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mention*hrōþigmw-pro · fame, glory, renown

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hrōþi",
        "t": "fame, glory, renown"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hrōþi (“fame, glory, renown”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Rolfe",
      "Rolfe#English"
    ],
    [
      "*hrōþi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hrōþi"
    ],
    [
      "Ruff",
      "Ruff#English"
    ],
    [
      "Rudolf",
      "Rudolf#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "76a5d21a7d89713a80e242e3220e081eeb3d4386519feca3876c176a6f02d014",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b55d99bd45f369cf11ce9111cc99cb57c7e72e853f388bfd5155ed677fb5197c",
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Roof →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Um9vZg