*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of roe

From Middle English rowe, rowne, roun, rawne, from Old English *hrogn (“spawn, fish eggs, roe”), from Proto-Germanic *hrugnaz, *hrugną (“spawn, roe”), from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“(frog) spawn”). Cognate with Dutch

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 ↗
noun

Eggs of fish. · Sperm of certain fish. · Ovaries of certain crustaceans.

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

From Middle English rowe, rowne, roun, rawne, from Old English *hrogn (“spawn, fish eggs, roe”), from Proto-Germanic *hrugnaz, *hrugną (“spawn, roe”), from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“(frog) spawn”). Cognate with Dutch roge (“roe”), German Low German Rögen (“roe”), German Rogen (“roe”), Danish rogn, ravn (“roe”), Swedish rom (“roe”), Icelandic hrogn (“roe”), Lithuanian kurkulai̇̃ (“frog spawn”), Russian кряк (krjak, “frog spawn”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionroweenm
  • Inherited-form mention*hrognang · spawn, fish eggs, roe
  • Inherited-form mention*hrugnazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*krek-ine-pro · (frog) spawn
  • Cognate mentionrogenl · roe
  • Cognate mentionRogende · roe
  • Cognate mentionrognda
  • Cognate mentionromsv · roe
  • Cognate mentionhrognis · roe
  • Cognate mentionkurkulaĩlt · frog spawn
  • Cognate mentionкрякru · frog spawn
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rowe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rowe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*hrogn",
        "t": "spawn, fish eggs, roe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *hrogn (“spawn, fish eggs, roe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hrugnaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hrugnaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krek-",
        "t": "(frog) spawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“(frog) spawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "roge",
        "t": "roe"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch roge (“roe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Rogen",
        "t": "roe"
      },
      "expansion": "German Rogen (“roe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "rogn"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish rogn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "rom",
        "t": "roe"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish rom (“roe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "hrogn",
        "t": "roe"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic hrogn (“roe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "kurkulaĩ",
        "t": "frog spawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian kurkulai̇̃ (“frog spawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "кряк",
        "t": "frog spawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian кряк (krjak, “frog spawn”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rowe",
      "rowe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rowne",
      "rowne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "roun",
      "roun#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rawne",
      "rawne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hrogn",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/hrogn"
    ],
    [
      "*hrugnaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrugnaz"
    ],
    [
      "*hrugną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrugną"
    ],
    [
      "*krek-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/krek-"
    ],
    [
      "roge",
      "roge#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Rögen",
      "Rögen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Rogen",
      "Rogen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rogn",
      "rogn#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "ravn",
      "ravn#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "rom",
      "rom#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "hrogn",
      "hrogn#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kurkulai̇̃",
      "kurkulai#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "кряк",
      "кряк#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Eggs of fish.",
        "Sperm of certain fish.",
        "Ovaries of certain crustaceans."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "486524a9294e5e8cfab60f55c0adc3fbdfbb29d386e6c63161e9d7c22835eade",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c358d84d36f1e4aae8e761e5ae34c0ecd53b32f4ec6b0214d2c10f00beebce72",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 181373
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Ellipsis of roe deer. · A mottled appearance of light and shade in wood, especially in mahogany.

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

From Middle English ro, roa, from Old English rā, rāha, from Proto-West Germanic *raihō, from Proto-Germanic *raihô, *raihą, from *róyko-, from Proto-Indo-European *rey- (“spotted, streaked”). See also Saterland Frisian Räi, Dutch ree, German Reh; also Irish riabh (“tripe, streak”), Latvian ràibs (“spotted”), Russian рябо́й (rjabój, “mottled fur”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionroenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrāang
  • Inherited-form mention*raihōgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*raihôgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*rey-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionRäistq
  • Cognate mentionreenl
  • Cognate mentionRehde
  • Cognate mentionriabhga · tripe, streak
  • Cognate mentionraibslv · spotted
  • Cognate mentionрябо́йru · mottled fur
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ro"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ro"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rā"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rā"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*raihō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *raihō"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*raihô"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *raihô"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*rey-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "spotted, streaked"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *rey- (“spotted, streaked”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Räi"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Räi"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "ree"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch ree"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Reh"
      },
      "expansion": "German Reh"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "riabh",
        "t": "tripe, streak"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish riabh (“tripe, streak”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lv",
        "2": "raibs",
        "3": "ràibs",
        "t": "spotted"
      },
      "expansion": "Latvian ràibs (“spotted”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "рябо́й",
        "t": "mottled fur"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian рябо́й (rjabój, “mottled fur”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ro",
      "ro#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "roa",
      "roa#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rā",
      "ra#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rāha",
      "raha#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*raihō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/raihō"
    ],
    [
      "*raihô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raihô"
    ],
    [
      "*raihą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raihą"
    ],
    [
      "*róyko-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/róyko-"
    ],
    [
      "*rey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/rey-"
    ],
    [
      "Räi",
      "Räi#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "ree",
      "ree#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Reh",
      "Reh#German"
    ],
    [
      "riabh",
      "riabh#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "ràibs",
      "raibs#Latvian"
    ],
    [
      "рябо́й",
      "рябой#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Ellipsis of roe deer.",
        "A mottled appearance of light and shade in wood, especially in mahogany."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "92630eb72fc0dda70d9548d837fe368205e1db7dcf106a5bc70aa944ce7b9243",
      "rawRecordSha256": "101daa47deda293c221591092499a9a74684a3127e57180e5abedf83600183b2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 181374
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 roe →

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-cm9l