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ruck¹

(rŭk)

a. A multitude; a throng.

b. The undistinguished crowd or ordinary run of persons or things.

2. People who are followers, not leaders.

3. Sports

a. A play in rugby in which a mass of players gathers around a ball dropped by a tackled ball carrier, with each player attempting to gain possession of the ball by kicking it to a teammate.

b. The mass of players during such a play. Also called loose scrum.

[Middle English ruke, heap, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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