Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'rid' is a small but powerful verb in the English language, often used to signify the removal or elimination of something undesirable. It's a word that has been used in various cultural contexts, from literature to music, and has been a part of many memorable phrases and idioms. For instance, the phrase 'rid yourself of doubt' is a common encouragement for people to have confidence in their abilities.
Moreover, the significance of 'rid' extends beyond the English language, as it has been translated into various languages around the world. For example, in Spanish, 'rid' translates to 'liberar', while in French, it is 'se débarrasser'. In German, the word 'befreien' is used, and in Japanese, the translation is '去り'+'去る' (saru+saru).
Understanding the translation of 'rid' in different languages can be useful for global communication and cultural exchange. It can help break down language barriers and foster a deeper appreciation for the nuances and subtleties of different cultures.
Afrikaans | ontslae | ||
"Ontslae" is a shortened form of the Afrikaans word "ontslaan", which means "to dismiss" or "to lay off". | |||
Amharic | አስወግድ | ||
The word አስወግድ also means to "remove" or "take away" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | kawar | ||
The word "kawar" also means "to leave" or "to depart" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | kpochapu | ||
In Igbo, 'kpochapu' can also refer to 'removing or disposing of' something, not just 'getting rid of' it. | |||
Malagasy | hanaisotra | ||
The Malagasy word "hanaisotra" can also mean "to remove" or "to take away". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chotsani | ||
The word "chotsani" also means "to take off" or "to remove" something. | |||
Shona | bvisa | ||
The Shona word bvisa also means 'to free' or 'to deliver'. | |||
Somali | ka saar | ||
The word | |||
Sesotho | tlosa | ||
The Sesotho word "tlosa" also means "to remove something that is stuck" or "to take something away from someone". | |||
Swahili | kuondoa | ||
'Kuondoa' is derived from the Bantu root '-ond-', meaning 'to clear, remove, or eliminate'. | |||
Xhosa | ukulahla | ||
Ukulahla also means to abandon or to throw away something, like a child or a partner. | |||
Yoruba | yọ kuro | ||
Yọ kuro in Yoruba can refer to getting rid of something, escaping, or making a quick exit. | |||
Zulu | ukususa | ||
In Zulu, the word 'ukususa' can also refer to 'cleaning' or 'washing'. | |||
Bambara | ka fili | ||
Ewe | ɖe ɖa | ||
Kinyarwanda | rid | ||
Lingala | kolongola | ||
Luganda | okujjawo | ||
Sepedi | tloša | ||
Twi (Akan) | gyae mu | ||
Arabic | تخلص | ||
The word "تخلص" can also mean "to be free" or "to get rid of something" | |||
Hebrew | לְשַׁחְרֵר | ||
The word "לְשַׁחְרֵר" can also mean "to set free" or "to liberate". | |||
Pashto | خلاصول | ||
"خلاصول" comes from the Arabic word "خلّص" which means "to deliver, to save". | |||
Arabic | تخلص | ||
The word "تخلص" can also mean "to be free" or "to get rid of something" |
Albanian | shpëtoj | ||
"Shpëtoj" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Albanian root *spet-, meaning "to save", and is related to the Latin word "spēs" (hope). | |||
Basque | libratu | ||
Libratu means "shake" or "quiver" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | eliminar | ||
"Eliminar" originally meant "to eliminate by marking something as wrong." | |||
Croatian | osloboditi | ||
The word osloboditi is a verb that literally translates to "to free", and it can also refer to the act of unburdening or releasing something. | |||
Danish | slippe af med | ||
The word "slippe af med" is derived from Middle Low German, where the verb "Slipen" meant "to let slide, escape". The preposition "af" means "off, from". Thus, the combined phrase "slippe af med" literally translates to "to let slide off". | |||
Dutch | ontdoen | ||
Ontdoen (rid in English) can also be used figuratively to mean to free oneself from something, like an addiction or a bad habit. | |||
English | rid | ||
The verb “rid” originates from the Middle English “ridden,” meaning “to clear” or “to free,” and is related to the Old English “rīdan,” meaning “to separate” or “to tear apart.” | |||
French | débarrasser | ||
The French verb "débarrasser" derives from "barras," meaning "palisade" or "barrier." | |||
Frisian | rid | ||
In Frisian, "rid" can also mean "to slide" or "to drive". | |||
Galician | librar | ||
The Galician verb "librar" (to rid) comes from the Latin "liberare", which also means "to free" or "to set free". | |||
German | loswerden | ||
The verb "loswerden" derives from the Middle High German "sich verliesen," which literally means "to lose oneself." | |||
Icelandic | losa sig við | ||
Rid is related to the word | |||
Irish | réidh | ||
Réidh is also used in Irish to mean 'ready' or 'prepared', akin to the English word 'ready' | |||
Italian | sbarazzarsi | ||
The verb "sbarazzarsi" can also mean "to get rid of" or "to free oneself from". | |||
Luxembourgish | befreien | ||
While its cognate 'befreien' in Standard German means 'to liberate,' in Luxembourgish it means 'to rid.' | |||
Maltese | jeħles | ||
In Maltese, “jeħles” evolved from the Arabic word “خلّص” with the same meaning of “rid” or “deliver”, and also to “save” someone from a dangerous situation | |||
Norwegian | kvitt | ||
In addition to meaning 'rid' in Norwegian, 'kvitt' can also refer to a receipt or bill of sale, and figuratively to 'being done with something'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | livrar | ||
The verb "livrar" in Portuguese can also mean "to free", "to deliver" or "to save". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cuidhteas | ||
Derived from Old Norse, "kvíða" (to shake), "cuidhteas" can also mean "to tremble". | |||
Spanish | eliminar | ||
The Spanish word "eliminar" originates from the Latin "eliminare," meaning "to remove out" or "to destroy." | |||
Swedish | befria | ||
Befria (Swedish for "rid") derives from the Old Swedish "frälse", meaning "freedom" or "liberation." | |||
Welsh | gwared | ||
"Gwared" derives from the Proto-Celtic *wo-re-t- ("to set free, deliver, protect"), seen also in Irish fuasgladh, Scottish Gaelic saoradh and Cornish gweres. |
Belarusian | пазбавіць | ||
In Polish the cognate word "pozbawić" means "deprive". | |||
Bosnian | osloboditi | ||
The word 'osloboditi' in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂eleuther-' meaning 'free' and can also mean to emancipate, liberate, exculpate, or discharge. | |||
Bulgarian | отървете се | ||
The word "rid" can also mean to free or release from something undesirable, such as a burden or an obligation. | |||
Czech | zbavit | ||
The verb "zbavit" derives from the Proto-Slavic verb *sъbaviti, which meant "to save" or "to protect". | |||
Estonian | lahti | ||
The word "lahti" is also used in Finnish as a noun denoting a "bay" or a "gulf" | |||
Finnish | eroon | ||
The word "eroon" can also refer to "away" or "off" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | megszabadulni | ||
In Hungarian, "megszabadulni" can also mean "to get rid of" or "to free oneself from something". | |||
Latvian | atbrīvoties | ||
In Latvian, "atbrīvoties" can also mean to free oneself from something | |||
Lithuanian | atsikratyti | ||
"Atsikratyti" is the Lithuanian word for "rid" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ker-", meaning "to cut off". | |||
Macedonian | ослободи | ||
"Ослободи" is a verb in Macedonian and has a few related meanings such as: to liberate or free someone or something, or to empty a space or surface from people or other things. | |||
Polish | pozbyć się | ||
The word "pozbyć się" can also mean "to get rid of" or "to lose." | |||
Romanian | scăpa | ||
The word "scăpa" also derives from a Slavic word that means "to save" in English. | |||
Russian | избавляться | ||
"Избавляться" can be used not only in the sense of 'get rid of', but also 'relieve', 'free', 'save', 'exempt', 'deliver' or 'protect'. | |||
Serbian | ослободити | ||
The Serbian word "ослободити" has the alternate meaning of "to free" and is etymologically related to "слобода" ("freedom"). | |||
Slovak | zbaviť | ||
The word "zbaviť" in Slovak also means "to deliver", "to save", or "to free". | |||
Slovenian | znebiti | ||
In the Upper Carniolan dialect, the word "znebiti" also means "to give birth". | |||
Ukrainian | позбавити | ||
The Ukrainian word "позбавити" (rid) also means "to deliver" or "to save". |
Bengali | মুক্তি | ||
The Bengali মুকতি ("mukti") means not only "rid", but also "liberation", "freedom", and "salvation". | |||
Gujarati | છૂટકારો | ||
The Gujarati word "છૂટકારો" also means "salvation" or "freedom from sin" in religious contexts. | |||
Hindi | छुटकारा | ||
The word "छुटकारा" can also refer to liberation, emancipation, or relief. | |||
Kannada | ತೊಡೆದುಹಾಕಲು | ||
'ತೊಡೆದುಹಾಕಲು' (rid) also refers to 'discarding, removing' or 'dismantling' something. | |||
Malayalam | ഒഴിവാക്കുക | ||
The Malayalam word 'ഒഴിവാക്കുക' ('rid') is derived from the Old Malayalam word 'ഒഴിവ' ('free space'), meaning to make something free from something. | |||
Marathi | सुटका | ||
The word 'सुटका' also means 'deliverance or release' when used in certain contexts like referring to the process of birth. | |||
Nepali | छुटकारा | ||
The term छुटकारा was borrowed from the Persian language in the 14th century. | |||
Punjabi | ਛੁਟਕਾਰਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බැහැර | ||
බැහැර 'bahera' is of Dravidian origin (compare with Kan. bāhudu "external, outer, outside", Malayalam bāhir "exterior") | |||
Tamil | தவிர்ந்திடு | ||
The word "தவிர்ந்திடு" (rid) in Tamil refers to not only the general meaning of "getting rid of something", but it can also specifically mean "setting aside or reserving something for a particular purpose" | |||
Telugu | విమోచనం | ||
విమోచనం is also used to refer to the liberation from the cycle of rebirth in a religious context. | |||
Urdu | چھٹکارا | ||
The word "چھٹکارا" has similar meanings to "reprieve" and "deliverance" in English. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 摆脱 | ||
摆脱 (báituō) can also mean 'escape', 'avoid', 'shed', or 'get away from'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 擺脫 | ||
"擺脫" originally meant "putting something in its place" in Chinese (Traditional) and it started to mean "rid" in the 19th century. | |||
Japanese | 取り除く | ||
The word 「取り除く」 can also mean to remove something from a place or to get rid of something undesirable. | |||
Korean | 구하다 | ||
구하다, originally meaning "to save from danger," also means "to free from," or "to get rid of." | |||
Mongolian | салах | ||
The word "салах" not only means "to get rid of" but also "to escape" or "to free oneself from." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖယ် | ||
The word "ဖယ်" can also mean "to remove" or "to eliminate" in Myanmar (Burmese). |
Indonesian | membersihkan | ||
The word "membersihkan" can also mean "to clean" or "to purify". | |||
Javanese | nyingkirake | ||
The Javanese word "nyingkirake" is derived from the word "nyingkir", which means "to move out of the way" or "to avoid", and the suffix "-ke", which indicates that the action is being done for someone else. | |||
Khmer | កម្ចាត់ | ||
"កម្ចាត់" (pronounced kom-chaat) can also mean "to destroy", "to finish off", or "to wipe out." | |||
Lao | ກໍາຈັດ | ||
Malay | menyingkirkan | ||
"Menyingkirkan" can also mean "to clear away" (like obstacles or rubbish) or "to remove" (like weeds or pests). | |||
Thai | กำจัด | ||
The word "กำจัด" can also mean "to eliminate". | |||
Vietnamese | thoát khỏi | ||
"Thoát khỏi" in Vietnamese does not imply a complete removal, but rather a separation or detachment from something. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | palayasin | ||
Azerbaijani | qurtardı | ||
The word "qurtardı" can also mean 'to recover' in Arabic, and 'to save' in Turkish. | |||
Kazakh | құтылды | ||
The Kazakh word "құтылды" comes from the ancient Turkic word "kut", which means "soul" or "happiness". | |||
Kyrgyz | арылтуу | ||
The term "арылтуу" can refer to either a verb which means "to rid someone of something" or a noun which is a name for a cleaning service in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | халос | ||
"Халос" is a noun derived from Arabic, meaning a "part of" or "share". | |||
Turkmen | gutulmak | ||
Uzbek | xalos | ||
In Uzbek, "xalos" can also mean "free" or "without charge." | |||
Uyghur | rid | ||
Hawaiian | kāpae | ||
The Hawaiian word "kāpae" can also refer to a garment worn by women, or to a method of weaving tapa cloth. | |||
Maori | whakaweto | ||
The word "whakaweto" can also mean "to make clean" or "to purify" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | aveese | ||
"Aveese" is used in the context of ridding oneself of evil spirits or bad omens, or to get rid of a pesky person or a troublesome thing. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | matanggal | ||
The Tagalog word matanggal's root "tanggal" also means "take off," as in clothing. |
Aymara | liwraña | ||
Guarani | jei | ||
Esperanto | senigi | ||
Esperanto "senigi" may derive from Polish "zjeść"} | |||
Latin | de finibus suis | ||
Despite having meanings of “rid” , “free”, and “liberate,” it does not imply “rid of evil or evil spirits.” |
Greek | απαλλάσσω | ||
The word "απαλλάσσω" can also mean "to free", "to deliver", or "to exempt". | |||
Hmong | tshem tawm | ||
'Tshem tawm' also means 'to finish' or 'to complete' in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | xilas kirin | ||
The term "xilas kirin" has an additional meaning in Kurdish, referring to the act of peeling or removing the skin of an object. | |||
Turkish | kurtulmak | ||
"Kurtulmak" is also used as a slang for escaping from danger or responsibility. | |||
Xhosa | ukulahla | ||
Ukulahla also means to abandon or to throw away something, like a child or a partner. | |||
Yiddish | באַפרייַען | ||
The word is derived from the German word 'befreien' which means 'to free' | |||
Zulu | ukususa | ||
In Zulu, the word 'ukususa' can also refer to 'cleaning' or 'washing'. | |||
Assamese | পৰিত্ৰাণ | ||
Aymara | liwraña | ||
Bhojpuri | छुटकारा दियावल | ||
Dhivehi | ދޫކޮށްލުން | ||
Dogri | छुटकारा पाना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | palayasin | ||
Guarani | jei | ||
Ilocano | papanawen | ||
Krio | trowe | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆ ڕزگارکردن | ||
Maithili | छुटकारा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯟꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | laksak | ||
Oromo | irraa baasuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମୁକ୍ତି | | ||
Quechua | qispiy | ||
Sanskrit | संत्यज् | ||
Tatar | котылу | ||
Tigrinya | ሓራ | ||
Tsonga | susa | ||