before 1100;Middle Englishrudi,Old Englishrudig. See rudd, -y1
Related forms
ruddily, adverb
ruddiness, noun
Examples from the web for ruddy
And blue, gray or amber frames help tone down ruddy complexions.
His portly figure and ruddy face suggest that he is no stranger to either of these items.
Many vessels were left unglazed to show off the ruddy color of natural terracotta.
Paprika is commonly used for its ruddy color rather than for its taste.
The layers are an improbable red that can vary from a fluorescent pink to a dark ruddy mahogany.
Well, the employment report is hardly a sign of an economy in ruddy health.
These wares begin with raw clay pulled from the ruddy hillsides and prepared for throwing on the potter's wheel or hand-building.
Pausing in his duties, a ruddy-faced lamplighter in plain homespun pauses to carouse with his fellows in the village streets.
ruddy ducks and cinnamon teal buzz by, while great blue herons lord over them all from the shallows.
He is eighty now, with ruddy skin and a full head of white hair.
British Dictionary definitions for ruddy
ruddy
/ˈrʌdɪ/
adjective -dier, -diest
1.
(of the complexion) having a healthy reddish colour, usually resulting from an outdoor life
2.
coloured red or pink: a ruddy sky
adverb, adjective (informal, mainly Brit)
3.
(intensifier) bloody; damned: a ruddy fool
Derived Forms
ruddily, adverb ruddiness, noun
Word Origin
Old English rudig, from rudu redness (see rudd); related to Old High German rotred1, Swedish rod, Old Norse rythga to make rusty
Word Origin and History for ruddy
adj.
late Old English rudig "rubicund," probably from rudu "redness," related to read "red" (see red (adj.1)). As a British slang euphemism for bloody (q.v.), first recorded 1914. Related: Ruddiness.