*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rue

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 regre

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Sorrow; repentance; regret. · Pity; compassion.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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 rouwen (“to mourn, to grieve”). 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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rewe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rewe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hrēow",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sorrow, regret, penitence, repentance, penance"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hrēow (“sorrow, regret, penitence, repentance, penance”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hreuwu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pain, sadness, regret, repentance"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hreuwu (“pain, sadness, regret, repentance”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "reuen",
        "t": "to regret, to repent"
      },
      "expansion": "German reuen (“to regret, to repent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rouwen",
        "t": "to mourn, to grieve"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rouwen (“to mourn, to grieve”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krows-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *krows-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "круши́ть",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to destroy, to shatter"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian круши́ть (krušítʹ, “to destroy, to shatter”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "сокруша́ться",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to be distressed, to grieve (for, over)"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian сокруша́ться (sokrušátʹsja, “to be distressed, to grieve (for, over)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "cs",
        "2": "truchlit"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech truchlit"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "sla-pro",
        "2": "*truxlъ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *truxlъ"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rewe",
      "rewe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "reowe",
      "reowe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hrēow",
      "hreow#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hreuwu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hreuwu"
    ],
    [
      "reuen",
      "reuen#German"
    ],
    [
      "rouwen",
      "rouwen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "*krows-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/krows-"
    ],
    [
      "круши́ть",
      "крушить#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "сокруша́ться",
      "сокрушаться#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "truchlit",
      "truchlit#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "*truxlъ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/truxlъ"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Sorrow; repentance; regret.",
        "Pity; compassion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "dialectal",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18619
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place. · To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action. · To cause to feel sorrow or pity. · To feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English rewen, ruwen, ruen, reowen, from Old English hrēowan (“to rue; make sorry; grieve”), perhaps influenced by Old Norse hryggja (“to distress, grieve”), from Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną (“to sadden; repent”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionrewenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionhrēowanang · to rue; make sorry; grieve
  • Derivation mentionhryggjanon · to distress, grieve
  • Inherited-form mention*hrewwanągem-pro · to sadden; repent

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rewen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rewen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hrēowan",
        "t": "to rue; make sorry; grieve"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hrēowan (“to rue; make sorry; grieve”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "hryggja",
        "t": "to distress, grieve"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse hryggja (“to distress, grieve”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hrewwaną",
        "t": "to sadden; repent"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną (“to sadden; repent”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rewen",
      "rewen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ruwen",
      "ruwen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ruen",
      "ruen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "reowen",
      "reowen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hrēowan",
      "hreowan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hryggja",
      "hryggja#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*hrewwaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrewwaną"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.",
        "To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.",
        "To cause to feel sorrow or pity.",
        "To feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "obsolete",
        "archaic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "99ebef985e4ba239e8281d2053fc878c71e07f3de5caa399ef525a7595d909fe",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English rue, from Anglo-Norman ruwe, Old French rue, from Latin rūta, from Ancient Greek ῥυτή (rhutḗ).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionrueenm
  • Derivation mentionruefro
  • Derivation mentionrūtala
  • Derivation mentionῥυτήgrc
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rue"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rue"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "ruwe"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman ruwe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "rue"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French rue"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "rūta"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin rūta"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ῥυτή"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ῥυτή (rhutḗ)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rue",
      "rue#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ruwe",
      "ruwe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "rue",
      "rue#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "rūta",
      "ruta#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ῥυτή",
      "ῥυτή#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18621
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rue →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cnVl