runic
Americanadjective
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consisting of or set down in runes.
runic inscriptions.
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having some secret or mysterious meaning.
runic rhyme.
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(of ornamental knots, figures, etc.) of an interlaced form seen on ancient monuments, metalwork, etc., of the northern European peoples.
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of the ancient Scandinavian class or type, as literature or poetry.
Etymology
Origin of runic
Explanation
Runic writing consists of ancient characters that are tough to decipher. These days the word might better fit a doctor's signature or a confusing instruction manual. Runes were the symbols used by Germanic people for writing in the Middle Ages. In those days, writing was rare, and people tended to look at it is as magical and a little threatening. Runic inscriptions continue to have an air of mystery about them, because they're so hard to read.
Vocabulary lists containing runic
"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Investors and commentators scrutinize the tables and graphs—especially a runic “dot plot” of individual committee members’ guesses about future interest rates—for clues about the Fed’s thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
A runic inscription was included in a mural in the hall of Chicago’s Norske Klub, founded in 1911.
From Slate • Nov. 11, 2023
“Without doubt, we will obtain valuable knowledge about the early history of runic writing,” Zilmer said.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2023
He remembers one arrangement, a soiled onesie on a chessboard mat splashed with runic handwriting.
From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2023
Under my gaze, the akrafena’s runic symbols glow.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
