Rush the Hurry and Rush the Plant Are Unrelated
To rush is to move with urgent haste. A separate rush is a marsh plant once strewn on floors.
To rush is to move with urgent haste; a rush is also a marsh plant with slender stems. They are separate words. The haste is from Old French *ruser*, to drive back — the same source as *ruse*. The plant is Old English *rysc*, and it mattered enormously in daily life: rushes were strewn over floors as a cheap covering and soaked in fat to make rushlights, the poor household's candle. A *rush* of blood and the *rush hour* both belong to the first word.
- To hurry. *Rushing to leave.*
- A sudden surge. *A rush of air.*
- A marsh plant. *Rushes by the river.*
- Rushlight. *A rushlight.*
- Old English — *rysc*. *The plant.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | rush | Rushing. |
| Noun | rush | A rush. |
| Compound | rush hour | Rush hour. |
| Compound | rushlight | A rushlight. |
| Old English | rysc | A rush. |
- She rushed out.Haste.
- Rushes grew by the water.Plant.
- A rushlight burned all evening.History.
What rushes were used for
- Floor covering — strewn fresh over beaten earth
- Rushlights — peeled stems soaked in fat, burning an hour or so
- Basketry and matting — woven into seats and containers
- Thatch — in some regions, alongside straw and reed
- A rush was cheap, hence *not worth a rush*
The verb is Old French *ruser*, to drive back. The plant is Old English *rysc*.
What was a rushlight?
A peeled rush stem soaked in fat and burned as a cheap light, the poor household's alternative to a candle.
Is the plant related to the verb?
No. The plant is Old English; the verb came from French and shares a root with ruse.