*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of runic

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *rūnābor.? Proto-Germanic *rūnō Proto-Germanic *rūnǭ Proto-Norse ᚱᚢᚾᛟ (runo) Old Norse rúnbor. English rune Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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

Original entry ↗
adj

Of, pertaining to, or written using runes. · Of a song or verse, mystically or obscurely expressed.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *rūnābor.? Proto-Germanic *rūnō Proto-Germanic *rūnǭ Proto-Norse ᚱᚢᚾᛟ (runo) Old Norse rúnbor. English rune Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English runic From rune + -ic.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "rune",
        "4": "-ic",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Celtic *rūnābor.?\nProto-Germanic *rūnō\nProto-Germanic *rūnǭ\nProto-Norse ᚱᚢᚾᛟ (runo)\nOld Norse rúnbor.\nEnglish rune\nProto-Indo-European *-ikos\nProto-Italic *-ikos\nLatin -icuslbor.\nOld French -iquebor.\nMiddle English -ik\nEnglish -ic\nEnglish runic\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*rūnǭ\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*rūnā\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*rūnō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Norse\", \"term\" : \"ᚱᚢᚾᛟ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmq-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"rún\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"rune\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"lbor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Learned borrowing from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"-ic\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ikos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ikos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-icus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"-ique\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ik\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ic\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"runic\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"runic\">\nFrom rune + -ic."
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    [
      "*rūnā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/rūnā"
    ],
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      "*rūnō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rūnō"
    ],
    [
      "ᚱᚢᚾᛟ",
      "ᚱᚢᚾᛟ#Proto-Norse"
    ],
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      "rún",
      "rún#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "rune",
      "rune#English"
    ],
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      "*-ikos",
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    ],
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      "*-ikos",
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    ],
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      "-icus",
      "-icus#Latin:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
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      "-ique",
      "-ique#Old_French:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
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      "-ic",
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    ],
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      "-ic",
      "-ic#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, pertaining to, or written using runes.",
        "Of a song or verse, mystically or obscurely expressed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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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 runic →

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-cnVuaWM