rote

Meanings

Noun

• Mechanical routine; a fixed, habitual, repetitive, or mechanical course of procedure.
• The roar of the surf; the sound of waves breaking on the shore.
• A kind of guitar, the notes of which were produced by a small wheel or wheel-like arrangement; an instrument similar to the hurdy-gurdy.
• Synonym of crowd.

Adjective

• By repetition or practice.

Verb

• To go out by rotation or succession; to rotate.
• To learn or repeat by rote.

Origin

• From Middle English rote, further origin Unknown. Found in the Middle English phrase bi rote, c. 1300. Some have proposed a relationship either with Old French rote/rute, or Latin rota ("wheel") (see rotary), but the OED calls both suggestions groundless.
• From Old Norse rót ("tossing, pitching (of sea)"), perhaps related to rauta; see hrjóta. Compare Middle English routen.
• From Middle English rote, from Old French rote, probably of German origin; compare Middle High German en, and English crowd ("a kind of violin").