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rue

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Rue is defined as to regret or feel remorse.

(verb)

An example of rue is a mother wishing she hadn't given her baby up for adoption.

See rue in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb rued, ruing

to feel remorse or repentance for (a sin, fault, etc.)
to wish (an act, promise, etc.) undone or unmade; regret

Origin: ME reowen < OE hreowan, akin to Ger reuen, to regret, ON hryggr, sorrowful, prob. < IE base *kreu-, to strike, beat > Gr krouein

intransitive verb

to be sorrowful or regretful

noun

Archaic sorrow, repentance, or regret

noun

any of a genus (Ruta) of strong-scented shrubs of the rue family, esp. an herb (R. graveolens) with yellow flowers and bitter-tasting leaves formerly used in medicine

Origin: OFr < L ruta < Gr rhytē

adjective

designating a family (Rutaceae, order Sapindales) of woody dicotyledonous plants, including the gas plant and the citrus plants

See rue in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb rued rued, ru·ing, rues

verb, transitive

To feel regret, remorse, or sorrow for.

verb, intransitive

To feel regret, remorse, or sorrow.

noun

Sorrow; regret: “To their rue, the Social Democrats have to acknowledge that the Conservative-Liberal coalition has captured the center where elections are won” (Elizabeth Pond).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English ruen

Origin: , from Old English hrēowan, to affect with grief

Origin: , and hrēowian, to repent

Related Forms:

ruˈer noun

noun

Any of various aromatic southwest Asian or Mediterranean plants of the genus Ruta, especially the ornamental R. graveolens, having bipinnately compound leaves that yield an acrid volatile oil formerly used in medicine.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Latin rūta

Origin: , probably from Greek rhūtē

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