- rue (v.)
- "feel regret," Old English hreowan "make sorry, distress, grieve" (class II strong verb; past tense hreaw, past participle hrowen), from Proto-Germanic *khrewanan (cf. Old Frisian riowa, Middle Dutch rouwen, Old Dutch hrewan, German reuen); in part, blended with Old English weak verb hreowian "feel pain or sorrow," and perhaps influenced by Old Norse hryggja "make sad," both from Proto-Germanic *khruwjanan, from the same root; from PIE root *kreue- (2) "to push, strike" (see anacrusis). Related: Rued; ruing.
- rue (n.1)
- "perennial evergreen shrub," late 14c., from Old French rue, earlier rude, from Latin ruta "rue," probably from Greek rhyte, of uncertain etymology, originally a Peloponnesian word. The bitter taste of its leaves led to many punning allusions to the noun form of rue (v.).
- rue (n.2)
- "sorrow, repentance," Old English hreow, from rue (v.).
- rue (n.3)
- French for "street," from Vulgar Latin *ruga (cf. Old Italian ruga), properly "a furrow," then in Medieval Latin "a path, street."