Old English; earliest use found in Restoration of Sandwich to Christ Church. From the genitive of rede + man, perhaps after early Scandinavian; compare Old Icelandic ráðsmaðr, Old Danish radsmand (Danish (now rare) rådsmand, † raadsmand), Old Swedish rads man (Swedish (now arch. or hist.) rådsman), all in senses ‘counsellor, adviser’, in Swedish also ‘member of a council’. Compare also Old Frisian rēdesmann counsellor, adviser, advocate, Middle Dutch raetsman (Dutch raadsman), German Ratsmann, both in sense ‘counsellor, adviser, member of a council’, Middle Low German rēdesman advocate. Compare also (with the first element uninflected) Middle Dutch raetman counsellor, adviser, member of a council, Middle Low German rēdeman advocate, Middle High German rātman counsellor, adviser, Old Icelandic ráðmaðr counsellor, adviser, Old Danish rathmen (plural noun) member of a council (Danish rådmand, † raadmand), Swedish (now arch. or hist.) rådman member of a council; also early Middle English readmen, plural.