roué

[ roo-ey, roo-ey ]

noun

1. a dissolute and licentious man; rake.

   Synonyms: rakehell, bounder, cad, lecher, libertine, profligate

roué

/ ˈruːeɪ /

noun

1. a debauched or lecherous man; rake

Word History and Origins

Origin of roué¹

1790–1800; < French, noun use of past participle of rouer to break on the wheel (derivative of roue wheel ≪ Latin rota ); name first applied to the profligate companions of the Duc d'Orléans (c1720)

Word History and Origins

Origin of roué¹

C19: from French, literally: one broken on the wheel, from rouer , from Latin rotāre to revolve, from rota a wheel; with reference to the fate deserved by a debauchee

Example Sentences

“Le Dieu gaulois du Soleil et le symbolisme de la roue,” Paris, 1886.

From Project Gutenberg

A shameless old roue makes love to you, and he writes you a stack of silly letters.

From Project Gutenberg

When with the gambler, or the roue, he was equally at home—a debauchee, or a handler of cards.

From Project Gutenberg

"Boys," he exclaimed, "'tis a hind wheel" (une roue de derrire—the slang word for a silver dollar).

From Project Gutenberg

Where the Grande Roue turns, on the ground now bright with flower-beds and grassy lawns, duels were fought erewhile.

From Project Gutenberg