rue

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ru/ UK /ruː/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like loo /l/ vs /r/ Sounds like lu /l/ vs /r/

Meanings

1

verb
to bitterly regret something; a bitter herb

You will rue the day you crossed him.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to bitterly regret... regret lament bemoan repent deplore mourn

Opposites

rejoice celebrate

Word family

Derived forms ruedruingrueful

Related forms rueful ruefully

Etymology

From Old English hrēowan ('to make sorry, distress'), from Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną ('to grieve'). The herb sense is unrelated, from Latin ruta, from Ancient Greek rhutē.

hrēowan Old English *hrewwaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# rue

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ru/
**IPA (UK):** /ruː/

## Meanings
1. to bitterly regret something; a bitter herb

## Examples
- You will rue the day you crossed him.

## Synonyms
- regret
- lament
- bemoan
- repent
- deplore
- mourn

## Antonyms
- rejoice
- celebrate

## Derived Forms
- rued
- ruing
- rueful

## Related Forms
- rueful
- ruefully

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hrēowan
- Root: *hrewwaną

## Etymology
From Old English hrēowan ('to make sorry, distress'), from Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną ('to grieve'). The herb sense is unrelated, from Latin ruta, from Ancient Greek rhutē.

## AI Etymology
Rue is from Old English hrēowan ('to make sorry, distress'), from Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną ('to grieve'). The herb sense is unrelated, from Latin ruta, from Ancient Greek rhutē. In present-day use, it means to bitterly regret something; a bitter herb. Derived formations include rued, ruing, and rueful. Related vocabulary includes rueful and ruefully.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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rue