rue1
- to feel sorrow over; repent of; regret bitterly: to rue the loss of opportunities.
- to wish that (something) had never been done, taken place, etc.: I rue the day he was born.
- to feel sorrow, repentance, or regret.
- sorrow; repentance; regret.
- pity or compassion.
Origin of rue1
rue2
- any strongly scented plant of the genus Ruta, especially R. graveolens, having yellow flowers and leaves formerly used in medicine.
Origin of rue2
de la Rue
- Warren,1815–89, English astronomer and inventor.
Examples from the Web for rue
Contemporary Examples
They tried to continue their getaway but had to quickly abandon their vehicle on the Rue de Meaux in the 19th.
I went back to rue La Boétie several times, but the Picards refused to let me in.
This was the case with M. Picard, the concierge at 21 rue La Boétie, who had worked there since 1931.
As a result, Rue des Rosiers houses only a few kosher shops and kitschy delis, mostly dedicated to vistors rather than locals.
This one literally takes up four corners on Rue Sherbrooke, all navigable via underground routes.
Historical Examples
I assure you that now they are at the corner of the Rue Magloire.
The DreamEmile Zola
Her room was on the Rue des Orfevres, only three doors away from the Huberts.
The DreamEmile Zola
I may rue my opposition as long as I live, for aught she knows.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
I took a pretty flat on the first floor of a house in the Rue de Rome.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
I had no suspicion then how momentous they were, but afterwards I had occasion to rue them.
A Hero of Our TimeM. Y. Lermontov
rue1
- to feel sorrow, remorse, or regret for (one's own wrongdoing, past events with unpleasant consequences, etc)
- archaic sorrow, pity, or regret
Word Origin
rue2
- any rutaceous plant of the genus Ruta, esp R. graveolens, an aromatic Eurasian shrub with small yellow flowers and evergreen leaves which yield an acrid volatile oil, formerly used medicinally as a narcotic and stimulantArchaic name: herb of grace Compare goat's-rue, meadow rue, wall rue
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for rue
v.
"feel regret," Old English hreowan "make sorry, distress, grieve" (class II strong verb; past tense hreaw, past participle hrowen), from Proto-Germanic *khrewanan (cf. Old Frisian riowa, Middle Dutch rouwen, Old Dutch hrewan, German reuen "to sadden, cause repentance"); in part, blended with Old English weak verb hreowian "feel pain or sorrow," and perhaps influenced by Old Norse hryggja "make sad," both from Proto-Germanic *khruwjanan, all from PIE root *kreue- (2) "to push, strike" (see anacrusis). Related: Rued; ruing.
n.1
perennial evergreen shrub, late 14c., from Old French rue (13c.), earlier rude, from Latin ruta "rue," probably from Greek rhyte, of uncertain etymology, originally a Peloponnesian word. The bitter taste of its leaves led to many punning allusions to rue (n.2.).
n.2
"sorrow, repentance," Old English hreow "grief, repentance, sorrow, regret, penitence," common Germanic (cf. Frisian rou, Middle Dutch rou, Dutch rouw, Old High German (h)riuwa, German reue), related to the root of rue (v.).
n.3
French for "street," from Vulgar Latin *ruga (cf. Old Italian ruga), properly "a furrow," then in Medieval Latin "a path, street" (see rough (adj.)).