Etymology

From archaic ruotsi ‎(“Swede”), from Old Swedish *roþs- ‎(“related to rowing”); related to Old Norse Roþrslandi ‎(“the land of rowing”), older name of Roslagen, where the Finns and Swedes first met, from roðr ‎(“steering oar”), from Proto-Germanic *rōaną ‎(“to row”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- ‎(“to row”).^[1]

Compare modern Swedish ro ‎(“to row”). Cognates in Baltic-Finnic and Sami languages include Estonian Rootsi, Veps Ročinma, Võro Roodsi, Northern Sami Ruoŧŧa. See also etymology section of ryssä ‎(“Russian”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈruo̯tsi/
• Rhymes: -uotsi
• Hyphenation: Ruot‧si