*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of run

From Middle English runnen, rennen (“to run”), alteration (due to the past participle runne, runnen, yronne) of Middle English rinnen (“to run”), from Old English rinnan, iernan (“to run”) and Old Norse rinna (“to run”),

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

past participle of rin

adj

In a liquid state; melted or molten. · Cast in a mould. · Exhausted; depleted (especially with "down" or "out"). · Travelled, migrated; having made a migration or a spawning run.

noun

Act or instance of running, of moving rapidly using the feet. · Act or instance of hurrying (to or from a place) (not necessarily on foot); dash or errand, trip. · A pleasure trip. · Flight, instance or period of fleeing.

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

From Middle English runnen, rennen (“to run”), alteration (due to the past participle runne, runnen, yronne) of Middle English rinnen (“to run”), from Old English rinnan, iernan (“to run”) and Old Norse rinna (“to run”), both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to boil, churn”). Cognate with Scots rin (“to run”), West Frisian rinne (“to walk, march”), archaic Dutch rinnen (“to flow”, still in geronnen), German rinnen (“to flow”), Swedish rinna (“to flow”), and Icelandic renna (“to flow”). From the causative Proto-Germanic *rannijaną (“to make run”) are Dutch rennen, German rennen, Danish rende, Swedish ränna (all “to run”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian rend (“to run, run after”), Persian راندن (rândan, “to move, set in motion”). See also random.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 45 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃er-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "runnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English runnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "rinnen",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rinnen (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rinnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rinnan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "rinna",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse rinna (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*rinnaną",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃reyH-",
        "t": "to boil, churn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to boil, churn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "rin",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots rin (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "rinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to walk, march"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian rinne (“to walk, march”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rinnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rinnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "rinnen",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "German rinnen (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "rinna",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish rinna (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "renna",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic renna (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "gem-pro",
        "2": "*rannijaną",
        "t": "to make run"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rannijaną (“to make run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rennen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rennen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "rennen"
      },
      "expansion": "German rennen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "rende"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish rende"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "ränna"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish ränna"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sq",
        "2": "rend",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to run, run after"
      },
      "expansion": "Albanian rend (“to run, run after”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa",
        "2": "راندن",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to move, set in motion",
        "tr": "rândan"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian راندن (rândan, “to move, set in motion”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "runnen",
      "runnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "runne",
      "runne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "runnen",
      "runnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "yronne",
      "yronne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinnan",
      "rinnan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "iernan",
      "iernan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinna",
      "rinna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*rinnaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rinnaną"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃reyH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃reyH-"
    ],
    [
      "rin",
      "rin#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "rinne",
      "rinne#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "geronnen",
      "geronnen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rinna",
      "rinna#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "renna",
      "renna#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "*rannijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rannijaną"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rende",
      "rende#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "ränna",
      "ränna#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "rend",
      "rend#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "راندن",
      "راندن#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "random",
      "random#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "past participle of rin"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "70fb938df49ec61d4edad5560d6d81cb6543e7587182d280132bef73ba426505",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b85f49bc664a46359bf9b40b285be68855e90892b6e346755841ff2f47685573",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34127
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "In a liquid state; melted or molten.",
        "Cast in a mould.",
        "Exhausted; depleted (especially with \"down\" or \"out\").",
        "Travelled, migrated; having made a migration or a spawning run."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "741040d596648028b39150e50c9218db1cd3dc23f789a9e9588cbd18a1f7d63f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c1e6500b87eef4c9be2ddcd470d5c91f7ac4d32dddc57f786a4ffe0d35c81ca5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34126
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Act or instance of running, of moving rapidly using the feet.",
        "Act or instance of hurrying (to or from a place) (not necessarily on foot); dash or errand, trip.",
        "A pleasure trip.",
        "Flight, instance or period of fleeing."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cba411511e8849ce8cfcb4ca8388fa0dd60e1cdd200502b4152d2afb259fd5c0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "65af265192b59261e234b5245e27aa71d0c1a513cf15be4885c888b8a2085a11",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34125
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 45,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To move forward quickly upon two feet by alternately making a short jump off either foot. · To go at a fast pace; to move quickly. · To cover (a course or a distance) by running. · To complete a running course or event in (a given time).

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

From Middle English runnen, rennen (“to run”), alteration (due to the past participle runne, runnen, yronne) of Middle English rinnen (“to run”), from Old English rinnan, iernan (“to run”) and Old Norse rinna (“to run”), both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to boil, churn”). Cognate with Scots rin (“to run”), West Frisian rinne (“to walk, march”), archaic Dutch rinnen (“to flow”, still in geronnen), German rinnen (“to flow”), Swedish rinna (“to flow”), and Icelandic renna (“to flow”). From the causative Proto-Germanic *rannijaną (“to make run”) are Dutch rennen, German rennen, Danish rende, Swedish ränna (all “to run”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian rend (“to run, run after”), Persian راندن (rândan, “to move, set in motion”). See also random.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 60 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃er-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "runnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English runnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "rinnen",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rinnen (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rinnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rinnan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "rinna",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse rinna (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*rinnaną",
        "t": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rinnaną (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃reyH-",
        "t": "to boil, churn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to boil, churn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "rin",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to run"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots rin (“to run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "rinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to walk, march"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian rinne (“to walk, march”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rinnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rinnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "rinnen",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "German rinnen (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "rinna",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish rinna (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "renna",
        "t": "to flow"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic renna (“to flow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "gem-pro",
        "2": "*rannijaną",
        "t": "to make run"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rannijaną (“to make run”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rennen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rennen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "rennen"
      },
      "expansion": "German rennen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "rende"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish rende"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "ränna"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish ränna"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sq",
        "2": "rend",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to run, run after"
      },
      "expansion": "Albanian rend (“to run, run after”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa",
        "2": "راندن",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to move, set in motion",
        "tr": "rândan"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian راندن (rândan, “to move, set in motion”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "runnen",
      "runnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "runne",
      "runne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "runnen",
      "runnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "yronne",
      "yronne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinnan",
      "rinnan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "iernan",
      "iernan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rinna",
      "rinna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*rinnaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rinnaną"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃reyH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃reyH-"
    ],
    [
      "rin",
      "rin#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "rinne",
      "rinne#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "geronnen",
      "geronnen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "rinnen",
      "rinnen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rinna",
      "rinna#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "renna",
      "renna#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "*rannijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rannijaną"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "rennen",
      "rennen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rende",
      "rende#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "ränna",
      "ränna#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "rend",
      "rend#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "راندن",
      "راندن#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "random",
      "random#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "lang_code": "zh",
      "word": "潤",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Traditional-Chinese"
      ],
      "roman": "rùn"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "lang_code": "zh",
      "word": "润",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ],
      "roman": "rùn"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To move forward quickly upon two feet by alternately making a short jump off either foot.",
        "To go at a fast pace; to move quickly.",
        "To cover (a course or a distance) by running.",
        "To complete a running course or event in (a given time)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "0e6aa449cd7d1780a557d2db62dc138c8cc725cdc943b81fb23c5e6ecba1485f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a0222b871174e8463505319f4ef9164672ea354ceb471c81d024cd3d06c05def",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34124
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 60,
    "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 run →

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-cnVu