Type Word Usage Old Germanic (Hypothetical) Meaning & History Germanic word meaning "red" [1][2]. Related ItemsDetails Other Languages & Culturesread(Anglo-Saxon) rot(Old Dutch) rot(Old High German) Given Name DescendantsReed, Reid, Read(English) Surname DescendantsRead, Reed, Reid(English) Rot, Roth(German) Rot, Roth(Jewish) Reid(Scottish) Sources & References Kroonen, Guus. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic. Brill, 2013, page 406. Orel, Vladimir. A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Brill, 2003, page 299.