rue

[ roo ]

See synonyms for: rue rued on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of rue

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

ruer, noun
un·rued, adjective

Other definitions for rue (2 of 2)

rue²

[ roo ]

noun

any strongly scented plant of the genus Ruta, especially R. graveolens, having yellow flowers and leaves formerly used in medicine.

Origin of rue

1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French <Latin rūta<Greek rhȳtḗ

Compare rue family.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rue in a sentence

A vast and enthusiastic audience thronged, with joyous clatter, through narrow Rues Mazarine and Dauphine, coming from the river.
The Stones of Paris in History and Letters, Volume I (of 2) | Benjamin Ellis Martin
Gratte-les-rues, a huge ruffian with a squint, straightway shouldered his musket and left the room.
Tales from Blackwood | Various
La sombre masse se dtache de la ville aux rues tortueuses comme une haute statue de son pidestal.
How France Built Her Cathedrals | Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
This conflagration forced us to leave the barricades of the Rues de Flandre and Riquet.
History of the Commune of 1871 | P. Lissagary
Cf. the proverb of Hending—'ofte rap reweth,' often haste rues it.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 (of 7) -- Notes to the Canterbury Tales | Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for rue (1 of 2)

rue¹

/ (ruː) /

verbrues, 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

Origin of rue

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

Derived forms of rue

ruer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for rue (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 stimulant: Archaic name: herb of grace Compare goat's-rue, meadow rue, wall rue

Origin of 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

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