rote

Meaning

Noun

Mechanical routine; a fixed, habitual, repetitive, or mechanical course of procedure.

Adj

By repetition or practice.

Verb

1. (obsolete) To go out by rotation or succession; to rotate.
2. To learn or repeat by rote.

Synonyms

rote learning

repetition

custom

customariness

donkey work

habit

practice

recitation

reciting

routine

use

wont

wontedness

common sense

sound of surf

convention

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹəʊt/

Etymology

From Middle English rote (“custom, habit, wont, condition, state”), further origin unknown. Found in the Middle English phrase bi rote (“by heart, according to form, expertly”), c. 1300. Some have proposed a relationship either with Old French rote/rute (“route”), or Latin rota (“wheel”) (see rotary), but the OED calls both suggestions groundless. Another explanation might be the metaphorical comparison between anything repetitive and playing the rote.