rune

¹ American  

[roon] / run /

noun

1. any of the characters of certain ancient alphabets, as of a script used for writing the Germanic languages, especially of Scandinavia and Britain, from c200 to c1200, or a script used for inscriptions in a Turkic language of the 6th to 8th centuries from the area near the Orkhon River in Mongolia.

2. something written or inscribed in such characters.

3. an aphorism, poem, or saying with mystical meaning or for use in casting a spell.

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rune ² American  

[roon] / run /

noun

Literary.

1. a poem, song, or verse.

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rune British  

/ ruːn /

noun

1. any of the characters of an ancient Germanic alphabet, derived from the Roman alphabet, in use, esp in Scandinavia, from the 3rd century _ad to the end of the Middle Ages. Each character was believed to have a magical significance

2. any obscure piece of writing using mysterious symbols

3. a kind of Finnish poem or a stanza in such a poem

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Other Word Forms

• runelike adjective
• runic adjective

Etymology

Origin of rune¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from Old Norse rūn “secret, writing, runic character”; cognate with Old English rūn, Middle English rune, obsolete English roun; round ²

Origin of rune²

First recorded in 1865–70; from Finnish runo “poem, canto,” from Scandinavian; rune ¹

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• sonnet
• verse
• writing