roué

American  

[roo-ey, roo-ey] / ruˈeɪ, ˈru eɪ /

noun

1. a dissolute and licentious man; rake.

   Synonyms:

   rakehell, bounder, cad, lecher, libertine, profligate

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roué British  

/ ˈruːeɪ /

noun

1. a debauched or lecherous man; rake

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Etymology

Origin of roué

1790–1800; < French, noun use of past participle of rouer to break on the wheel (derivative of roue wheel ≪ Latin rota ); name first applied to the profligate companions of the Duc d'Orléans (c1720)

Explanation

You can describe a smooth-talking, no-good man as a roue. You could also call him a lady's man, a rake, or a Lothario. This one deserves a full etymology: it's French, a participle of rouer, "to break on the wheel," and it's also the name first applied to the profligate companions of the Duc d'Orléans. So in other words, a roue is a really bad dude. Roue is not common in conversation but that didn't stop Oscar Hammerstein from lyricizing it in "The Sound of Music:" "Eager young lads and roues and cads / Will offer you food and wine."

Example Sentences

Marseille, France, for its beautiful beaches and the Grande Roue de Marseille.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2021

A French physician at the hospital in N'Djamena, Dr. Jancovi Roue, said that only the wounded who appeared to have a good chance of surviving had been brought in.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Roue pointed to a man whose body was swathed in white gauze bandages.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tradition of the late, famed schooner Bluenose* is perpetuated in a class of pleasure craft designed by William J. Roue and now being built in four Nova Scotia yards.

From Time Magazine Archive

Roue, gambler, leading a double life of the fastest kind.

From The Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Packard, Frank L. (Frank Lucius)

Related Words

• seducer