rote

¹

[roht]

adjective

1. 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.

noun

1. a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure; routine.

   the rote of daily living.

rote

²

Also rota

[roht]

noun

Music.

1. crowd.

rote

³

[roht]

noun

1. the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

rote

¹

/ rəʊt /

noun

1. a habitual or mechanical routine or procedure

2. by repetition; by heart (often in the phrase learn by rote )

rote

²

/ rəʊt /

noun

1. an ancient violin-like musical instrument; crwth

Word History and Origins

Origin of rote¹

First recorded in 1300–150; Middle English; of obscure origin

Origin of rote²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rote, rotte, route, a kind of harp, from Old French rote, route “stringed instrument,” from unattested Frankish hrota (compare Old High German hruozza ); akin to crowd ²

Origin of rote³

First recorded in 1600–10; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Norse rauta “to roar”

Word History and Origins

Origin of rote¹

C14: origin unknown

Origin of rote²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning; in a mechanical way.

   to learn a language by rote.

see by heart (rote).

Example Sentences

“I love that he’s talking German with me. Having someone speak in German on the team feels good,” said Tillman, who quickly added what’s become the rote reaction to Son.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's pointing out some rote number that means nothing," he said, insisting that Meta's research is being "pruned and manipulated."

From BBC

Friedland doesn’t waste time letting us know she has more on her mind than rote family drama or a spotlight on medical suffering.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the pieces in the book written before this real-life catastrophe, though, suffer from the rote world-weariness of the columnist accustomed to griping to order.

From Los Angeles Times

If one looks past Kennedy's rote words to his actions, a much different picture emerges, and it becomes clear that he thinks vaccines are for weak, lazy parents.

From Salon