Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Ruddy
1.
Of a red color; red, or reddish;
as, a
. ruddy
sky; a ruddy
flameMilton.
They were more
ruddy
in body than rubies. Lam. iv. 7.
2.
Of a lively flesh color, or the color of the human skin in high health;
as,
. ruddy
cheeks or lipsDryden.
Ruddy duck
(Zool.)
, an American duck (
– Erismatura rubida
) having a broad bill and a wedge-shaped tail composed of stiff, sharp feathers. The adult male is rich brownish red on the back, sides, and neck, black on the top of the head, nape, wings, and tail, and white on the cheeks. The female and young male are dull brown mixed with blackish on the back; grayish below. Called also dunbird
, dundiver
, ruddy diver
, stifftail
, spinetail
, hardhead
, sleepy duck
, fool duck
, spoonbill
, etc. Ruddy plover
(Zool.)
the sanderling.
Rud′dy
,Verb.
T.
To make ruddy.
[R.]
Sir W. Scott.
Webster 1828 Edition
Ruddy
RUD'DY
, a.1.
Of a red color; of a lively flesh color, or the color of the human skin in high health. Thus we say, reddy cheeks, ruddy lips, a reddy face or skin, a ruddy youth; and in poetic language, ruddy fruit. But the word is chiefly applied to the human skin.2.
Of a bright yellow color; as ruddy gold. [Unusual.]Definition 2024
Ruddy
ruddy
ruddy
See also: Ruddy
English
Adjective
ruddy (comparative ruddier, superlative ruddiest)
- Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.
- (Britain, slang) A mild intensifier.
- 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter XVIII and XX”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:
- “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!” she vociferated, if that's the word. “With a million ruddy names to choose from, these ruddy Creams call one ruddy son Wilbert and the other ruddy son Wilfred, and both these ruddy sons are known as Willie. Just going out of their way to mislead the innocent bystander. You'd think people would have more consideration.”
-
Derived terms
- rudden (to become ruddy)
Synonyms
- (reddish in color): rosy
- (intensifier): bally, bleeding, blimming, bloody, blooming
- See also Wikisaurus:damned
Translations
reddish
|
|
a mild intensifier
See also
- (reds) red; blood red, brick red, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, cerise, cherry, cherry red, Chinese red, cinnabar, claret, crimson, damask, fire brick, fire engine red, flame, flamingo, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, gules, hot pink, incarnadine, Indian red, magenta, maroon, misty rose, nacarat, oxblood, pillar-box red, pink, Pompeian red, poppy, raspberry, red violet, rose, rouge, ruby, ruddy, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, shocking pink, stammel, strawberry, Turkey red, Venetian red, vermillion, vinaceous, vinous, violet red, wine (Category: en:Reds)
Noun
ruddy (plural ruddies)
- (informal) ruddy duck
Verb
ruddy (third-person singular simple present ruddies, present participle ruddying, simple past and past participle ruddied)
- (transitive) To make reddish in colour.
- The sunset ruddied our faces.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Scott to this entry?)