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rufous

American  
[roo-fuhs] / ˈru fəs /

adjective

  1. An image of the word rufous as defined by reddish; tinged with red; brownish red.

    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.

See Examples For:

Hertfordshire Zoo says the successful breeding programme is a "significant victory for the wider zoological community, with only a handful of black and rufous sengi currently residing 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

He showed me out through the garden, where snow lay thin in the light of Gethen’s big, dull, rufous moon.

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

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