Rufous
/ˈruːfəs/noun
Having a reddish-brown color.
Did you know?Rufous ultimately comes from Latin *rufus*, the ordinary word for “red-haired” or “reddish,” and it survives today mainly in bird and animal names like the rufous hummingbird.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reudh-
“to be red, ruddy”
Latin
Latin
rufus
“red-haired, reddish, tawny”
Late Latin
Latin
rufus
“used as a color term for reddish-brown”
Middle English
English
rufous
“reddish; of a rusty or tawny color”
Modern English
English
rufous
“reddish-brown, especially in describing birds, fur, or plumage”