DEFINITIONS

rue

1
[ roo ]
/ ru /

verb (used with object), rued, ru·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), rued, ru·ing.

to feel sorrow, repentance, or regret.

noun

sorrow; repentance; regret.
pity or compassion.

Words nearby rue

rudolf i, rudolph, rudra, rudy, rudyard, rue, rue anemone, rue family, rueful, rufen, rufescent

Origin of rue

1
before 900; (v.) Middle English ruen, rewen, Old English hrēowan; cognate with Dutch rouwen, German reuen; (noun) Middle English rewe, reowe, Old English hrēow; cognate with Dutch rouw, German Reue; cf. ruth

OTHER WORDS FROM rue

ru·er, nounun·rued, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for ruer (1 of 2)

rue1
/ (ruː) /

verb rues, ruing or rued

to feel sorrow, remorse, or regret for (one's own wrongdoing, past events with unpleasant consequences, etc)

noun

archaic sorrow, pity, or regret

Derived forms of rue

ruer, noun

Word Origin for rue

Old English hrēowan; related to Old Saxon hreuwan, Old High German hriuwan

British Dictionary definitions for ruer (2 of 2)

rue2
/ (ruː) /

noun

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 for rue

C14: from Old French, from Latin rūta, from Greek rhutē
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