rote
1[ roht ]
/ roʊt /
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adjective
noun
a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure; routine: the rote of daily living.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about rote
by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning; in a mechanical way: to learn a language by rote.
Origin of rote
1First recorded in 1300–150; Middle English; of obscure origin
Other definitions for rote (2 of 3)
Also rota [roh-tuh], /ˈroʊ tə/, rotta [rot-uh], /ˈrɒt ə/, rotte [rot] /rɒt/ .
Origin of rote
2First 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 crowd2
Other definitions for rote (3 of 3)
rote3
[ roht ]
/ roʊt /
noun
the sound of waves breaking on the shore.
Origin of rote
3First recorded in 1600–10; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Norse rauta “to roar”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rote in a sentence
I was only gettin orf a goak, but you roter hev seen the Old Kurnal jump up & howl.
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward|Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward)Bryce reached the answer as the taxi floated down on hissing roter blades and settled to the platform.
The Man Who Staked the Stars|Charles Dye
British Dictionary definitions for rote (1 of 2)
rote1
/ (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)
rote2
/ (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
Other 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.