Etymology

Although no reflexes of the presumed PGmc root *raus- (< an imitative root *rus-; see Mag. s.v. rausa, Hellquist, Falk-Torp) survive outside of the Scandinavian languages, the vocalism of the ME word, together with its sense and distribution, is compelling evidence of loan from ON.

PGmc Ancestor

*raus-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

raust 'voice'
(ONP raust (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far reyst, Icel raust, Norw raust, Dan røst, Sw röst

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /au/ &lt; PGmc */au/

Summary category

A1c

Attestation

The Orrmulum is the earliest of only a few instance in ME, all from N texts; predominantly Scots in the modern period (OED3, EDD).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 488

Bibliography

MED roust(e (n.) , OED3 roust (n.1) , HTOED , EDD roust (v.2 and sb.2), Bj. 72,de Vries raust (1), Mag. raust (1), Nielsen røst, Falk-Torp Røst, Hellquist röst