rue

Meaning

Noun

1. (archaic, dialectal, uncountable) Sorrow; repentance; regret.
2. (archaic, dialectal, uncountable) Pity; compassion.

Verb

1. (transitive) To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to feel sorrow or pity.
4. (archaic, intransitive, obsolete) To feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on).
5. (archaic, intransitive) To feel sorrow or regret.

Synonyms

regret

repent

feel sorrow

sorrow

Ruta graveolens

grieve

lament

herb of grace

remorse

sympathy

feel remorse

be penitent

ruefulness

pity

street

wail

weep

yearning

feel sorry

misericorde

be regretful

common rue

be contrite

be penitent for

begrudge

herb-of-grace

bemoan

be sorry for

bewail

compassion

craving

deplore

hankering

hungriness

mercy

moan

mourn

repentance

repent of

Translations

ruda

arruda

ruta

wijnruit

Weinraute

ruda

pentirsi

regretter

Raute

Ruta

rimpiangere

ruta

herbe de grâce

rue

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹuː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: rewe

Inherited from Old English: hrēow

Cognate with German: reuen

Cognate with Dutch: berouwen

Cognate with Russian: сокруша́ться

Cognate with Russian: круши́ть

Inherited from Middle English: rue

In summary

From Middle English rewe, reowe, from Old English hrēow (“sorrow, regret, penitence, repentance, penance”), from Proto-West Germanic *hreuwu (“pain, sadness, regret, repentance”). Cognates include German reuen (“to regret, to repent”) and Dutch berouwen (“to regret, to repent”).
Probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krows-. If so, note the same sense evolution with in this case cognate Russian круши́ть (krušítʹ, “to destroy, to shatter”), Russian сокруша́ться (sokrušátʹsja, “to be distressed, to grieve (for, over)”). Also compare Czech truchlit from Proto-Slavic *truxlъ.