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Ries·ling

(rēslĭng, rēz-)

1. A variety of grape grown in cool areas, especially in Germany and the Pacific Northwest.

2. A dry to sweet, floral white wine made from this grape.

[German, from Middle High German, variant of rueszling : perhaps ruoz, soot (from Old High German, from Germanic *hrōtaz, of unknown origin) + -ling, noun suffix indicating possession of an attribute (the grape perhaps being called “sooty” because its fruit develops blackish spots when ripe).]

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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