11 entries found

rook (n.1)

"European crow," Old English hroc, from Proto-Germanic *khrokaz (source also of Old Norse hrokr, Middle Dutch roec, Dutch roek, Middle Swedish roka, Old High German hruoh "crow"), possibly imitative of its raucous voice (compare Gaelic roc "croak," Sanskrit kruc "to cry out"). Used as a disparaging term for persons at least since c. 1500, and extended by 1570s to mean "a cheat," especially at cards or dice.

rook (n.2)

chess piece, c. 1300, from Old French roc, from Arabic rukhkh, from Persian rukh, of unknown meaning, perhaps somehow related to the Indian name for the piece, rut, from Hindi rath "chariot." Confused in Middle English with roc.

rook (v.)

"to defraud by cheating" (originally especially in a game), 1590s, from rook (n.1) in some sense (such as "a gull, simpleton," but this is not attested until 17c.). Related: Rooked; rooking.

rookery (n.)

"colony of rooks," 1725, from rook (n.1) + -ery.

rookie (n.)

"raw recruit," 1868, popularized by Kipling's "Barrack-Room Ballads" (1892); a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from recruit, influenced by rook (n.1) in its secondary sense, suggesting "easy to cheat." Barrère ["A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant," 1890] has "Rookey (army), a recruit; from the black coat some of them wear," so perhaps directly from rook (n.1). The word came into general use in American English during the Spanish-American War. The rapid growth of a word from a single seed transplanted in a congenial soil is one of the curiosities of literature. Take a single instance. A few weeks ago there was not one American soldier in a thousand who knew there was such a word as "rookey." To-day there are few soldiers and ex-soldiers who have not substituted it for "raw recruit." [The Midland Monthly, December 1898]

castle (v.)

chess move involving the king and the rook, recorded under this name from 1650s, from castle (n.), as an old alternative name for the rook. Earlier, the verb meant "fortify (a place) with castles" (c. 1500); "provide (a ship) with fortified towers" (c. 1400); "decorate (a dish) with paper towers, etc." (late 14c.). Related: Castled; castling.

rick (n.)

"stack of hay, straw, etc.," especially if regularly built and thatched to keep off rain, Middle English reke, from Old English hreac, from Proto-Germanic *khraukaz (source also of Old Norse hraukr, Frisian reak, Dutch rook "heap"); perhaps related to ridge (n.).

rugby (n.)

type of football, 1864, after Rugby, public school where the game was played, from city of Rugby in Warwickshire, central England. The place name is Rocheberie (1086), probably "fortified place of a man called *Hroca;" with second element from Old English burh (dative byrig), replaced by 13c. with Old Norse -by "village" due to the influence of Danish settlers. Otherwise it might be *Rockbury today. Or first element perhaps is Old English hroc "rook." Rugby Union formed 1871. Slang rugger for "rugby" is from 1893.

pawn (n.2)

"lowly chess piece, a piece of the lowest rank and value in chess," late 14c., poune, from Anglo-French poun, Old French peon, earlier pehon "a foot-soldier; a pawn at chess," from Medieval Latin pedonem "foot soldier," from Late Latin pedonem (nominative pedo) "one going on foot," from Latin pes (genitive pedis) "foot," from PIE root *ped- "foot." The chess sense was in Old French by 13c. Figurative use, of persons, is by 1580s, but Middle English had rook and pawn "high and low persons," thus "everyone."

bully (n.)

1530s, "sweetheart," a term of endearment applied to either sex, of uncertain origin; perhaps from Dutch boel "lover; brother," which probably is a diminutive of Middle Dutch broeder "brother" (compare Middle High German buole "brother," source of German Buhle "lover;" see brother (n.)). Meaning deteriorated 17c. through "fine fellow" and "blusterer" to "harasser of the weak" (1680s, from bully-ruffian, 1650s). Perhaps this was by influence of bull (n.1), but a connecting sense between "lover" and "ruffian" might be "protector of a prostitute," which was one sense of bully (though it is not specifically attested until 1706). "Sweetheart" words often go bad in this way; compare leman, also ladybird, which in Farmer and Henley ("Slang and Its Analogues") is "1. A whore; and (2) a term of endearment." Shakespeare has bully-rook "jolly comrade." The adjective meaning "worthy, jolly, admirable" is first attested 1680s, and preserves an earlier, positive sense of the word. It enjoyed a popularity in late 19c. American English, and was used from 1864 in expressions, such as bully for you! "bravo!"