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rufous

American  
[roo-fuhs] / ˈru fəs /

adjective

  1. reddish; tinged with red; brownish red.


rufous British  
/ ˈruːfəs /

adjective

  1. reddish-brown

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rufous

1775–85; < Latin rūf ( us ) red 1 + -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two black and rufous sengi, known as elephant shrews, have been born for the first time in the UK.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

There are two variants of female cuckoos: a gray morph that looks like a sparrowhawk, and a rufous morph.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

In January I wrote about an unlikely visitor to Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax County: a rufous hummingbird.

From Washington Post • Dec. 29, 2021

Johnson can’t pinpoint why there are more sightings of rufous hummingbirds in the Southeast this fall, but speculated there are a couple of driving forces.

From Washington Times • Nov. 14, 2020

The face that turned towards me, reddened and era-tered by firelight and shadow, was as flat and cruel as the moon, Winter’s dull rufous moon.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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