Dictionary.com
definitions

rote

1
[ roht ]
/ roʊt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rote ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

routine; a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure: the rote of daily living.

adjective

proceeding mechanically and repetitiously; being mechanical and repetitious in nature; routine; habitual: rote performance; rote implementation; His behavior became more rote with every passing year.

RELATED WORDS

repetition, routine, memorization, system, learning, memory

Nearby words

  1. rotatory nystagmus,
  2. rotavator,
  3. rotavirus,
  4. rotblat,
  5. rotc,
  6. rote learning,
  7. rotenone,
  8. rotfl,
  9. rotgut,
  10. roth

Idioms

    by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning; in a mechanical way: to learn a language by rote.

Origin of rote

1
1275–1325; Middle English; of obscure origin

Definition for rote (2 of 3)

rote

2
[ roht ]
/ roʊt /

noun Music.

crowd2.
Also rota, rotta, rotte.

Origin of rote

2
1350–1400; Middle English < Old French < Frankish *hrota (compare Old High German hruozza); akin to crowd2

Definition for rote (3 of 3)

rote

3
[ roht ]
/ roʊt /

noun

the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

Origin of rote

3
1600–10; perhaps < Old Norse rauta ‘roar’
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rote

British Dictionary definitions for rote (1 of 2)

rote

1
/ (rəʊt) /

noun

a habitual or mechanical routine or procedure
by rote by repetition; by heart (often in the phrase learn by rote)

Word Origin for rote

C14: origin unknown

British Dictionary definitions for rote (2 of 2)

rote

2
/ (rəʊt) /

noun

an ancient violin-like musical instrument; crwth

Word Origin for rote

C13: from Old French rote, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German rotta, Middle Dutch rotte
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

Word Origin and History for rote

rote

n.

c.1300, "custom, habit," in phrase bi rote "by heart," of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be connected with Old French rote "route" (see route (n.)), or from Latin rota "wheel" (see rotary), but OED calls both suggestions groundless.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with rote

rote

see by heart (rote).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.