English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

rottenstone

noun

A soft, crumbly type of limestone used for polishing surfaces.

rotter

noun

A despicable or thoroughly unpleasant person (dated, chiefly British).

Rotterdam

name

A major port city in the Netherlands, named for a dam on the Rotte river.

rotting

noun

The process of decaying or breaking down organically.

rottingness

noun

Something that is decaying or breaking down.

Rottweiler

noun

A large, powerfully built dog breed with a black coat and tan markings, originally from Germany.

rotund

adj

Having a rounded, ball-like shape.

roturier

noun

An ordinary person of low social rank, especially someone in pre-Revolutionary France who was not a noble or a member of the clergy.

Rouen

noun

A large, heavyset breed of domestic duck, originally bred in France, prized for its meat and colouring rather than egg-laying.

rouge

noun

A red or pink cosmetic powder or cream used to colour the cheeks.

rough

adj

Having an uneven or bumpy surface; not smooth.

roughage

noun

(archaic) Rubbish or waste; later, the parts of a crop that farmers throw away, such as husks and stalks, or unwanted weeds.

rougher

noun

A worker who does the first, coarse shaping of a material before it is finished.

roughly

adv

Approximately; not exactly.

roughneck

noun

A labourer on an oil rig or in the oilpatch, either skilled or semiskilled.

roughness

noun

The quality of having an uneven, coarse, or bumpy surface or texture.

roulette

noun

A casino gambling game where a ball spins around a numbered wheel and players bet on where it will land.

roumanian

adj

A dated spelling of Romanian.

roun

noun

(archaic) A conversation, especially one spoken quietly or spread as a rumour.

round

adjective

Shaped like a circle or sphere, with no sharp corners.

round trip

noun

A journey to a place and back again to where you started.

roundabout

noun

A road junction where traffic circles around a central island instead of stopping at lights.

rounded

adjective

Curved rather than sharp or angular.

roundel

noun

Something with a round shape, such as a circle.

rounder

noun

A regular at bars or similar places, often used disapprovingly for someone seen as disreputable.

rounders

noun

A team game played with a bat and ball, with one side fielding and the other batting, resembling softball and baseball.

roundhouse

noun

A punch or kick delivered in a wide, sweeping arc rather than a straight line.

rounding

noun

The process of adjusting a number to a simpler, nearby value.

roundly

adv

Completely and firmly.

Rounds

noun

A doctor's regular visits to check on patients, typically in a hospital.

roundup

noun

The act of gathering cattle together, or by extension, gathering people (such as suspects) together.

Rourke

name

An Irish surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "champion."

rouse

verb

To wake someone up, or to stir them out of inactivity.

rousing

adjective

Exciting or inspiring; capable of stirring strong emotion or enthusiasm.

Rousseau

name

A surname, most famously belonging to Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), the Genevan philosopher whose ideas shaped Enlightenment political thought.

roustabout

noun

An unskilled worker, for example on an oil rig, at a circus or aboard a ship.

rout

noun

A crushing, disorganized defeat.

route

noun

The path or course taken to get from one place to another.

routed

adjective

Assigned a path or direction, as with data or traffic.

router

noun

A networking device that directs data between computers and networks, including connecting a home network to the internet.

routinary

adj

Relating to a fixed routine; usual or habitual.

routine

noun

A fixed sequence of actions regularly followed.

routinely

adverb

As a normal, regular part of a process; habitually.

routing

noun

The process of determining the path data or traffic takes to reach its destination.

roux

noun

A cooked mixture of fat and flour used as a base to thicken sauces, soups, and stews.

rove

verb

To wander about without a fixed destination.

rover

noun

Someone or something that wanders or travels widely, including robotic vehicles used to explore other planets.

roving

adjective

Traveling from place to place without a fixed base.

row

noun

A straight line of people or things placed next to each other.

rowable

adj

Able to be rowed.

rowan

noun

A small deciduous tree with clusters of white flowers and bright orange-red berries, also called the mountain ash.

rowbarge

noun

A barge moved by rowing.

rowboat

noun

A small boat that is moved through the water using oars.

rowdiness

noun

Noisy, rough or disorderly behaviour.

rowdy

adjective

Loud, boisterous, and disorderly.

rowdyism

noun

The condition of being rowdy.

Rowe

name

An English surname, originally denoting someone who lived by a hedgerow or row of houses.

rowed

adjective

Arranged in rows.

rowen

noun

A second cutting of hay taken from the same field in one growing season.

Rowena

name

A feminine given name of uncertain origin, popularized by its use in medieval legend and Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe."

rower

noun

Someone who rows, especially a boat.

rowing

noun

The activity or sport of propelling a boat using oars.

Rowland

name

A masculine given name and surname derived from the Germanic name Roland, meaning "famous land."

Rowley

name

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rough clearing."

rowlock

noun

A fitting on the side of a boat that holds an oar and lets it pivot as someone rows.

rowport

noun

A hole cut low in the side of a small warship, allowing it to be rowed when there was no wind.

roxana

name

The wife of Alexander the Great.

Roxane

name

A feminine given name of Persian origin, meaning "dawn" or "bright star."

Roxanne

name

A female given name, a popular variant spelling of Roxane.

Roxton

name

An English surname and place name, likely meaning "Roc's settlement."

Roxy

name

A short, informal form of names like Roxana, Roxane, or Roxanne.

Roy

name

A male given name and surname with roots in Scottish Gaelic, French, and Bengali traditions.

royal

adjective

Belonging to, or connected with, a king, queen, or their family.

royale

noun

A savoury custard, cut into small decorative shapes, used to garnish a clear soup such as consommé.

royalist

adj

Belonging to, or connected with, people who support the monarchy or a particular group of them.

royally

adverb

In a manner fit for royalty; grandly.

Royals

name

A surname or nickname, and the plural form used for members of a royal family or teams named "Royals."

royalty

noun

Kings, queens, and their families, considered as a group.

Royce

name

An English surname and given name meaning "son of the king," also known from the Rolls-Royce automobile company.

roynish

adj

Covered in scabs, or affected by mange.

Royston

name

An English surname and place name, referring to a market town in Hertfordshire, England.

rozelle

name

A suburb of Sydney in the Inner West council area, New South Wales, Australia.

RPG

noun

A role-playing game, in which players take on the identity of characters in a story.

rpm

abbreviation

Revolutions per minute — a measure of how many full turns something makes each minute, used especially of engines, motors and hard drives.

RR

verb

In travel and booking status codes, to reconfirm or having reconfirmed a reservation.

Rs

symbol

Abbreviation for rupees, the currency used in India, Pakistan, and several other countries.

RSVP

verb

To reply to an invitation, confirming whether you will attend.

rta

noun

In Vedic belief, the natural law that keeps the universe working correctly.

RTF

noun

A document file format that stores formatted text — things like bold, italics, fonts and margins — in a way that a very wide range of word processors can open, developed by Microsoft as a common ground between different programs.

ruan

noun

A traditional Chinese stringed instrument with a long fretted neck and a round body, played by plucking.

ruana

noun

A poncho-like outer garment traditionally worn in the Andes of Venezuela and Colombia.

rub

verb

To move something back and forth against a surface while pressing on it.

rubadub

noun

The steady sound made when a drum is beaten again and again.

rubbed

adjective

Having had something applied or worn away by rubbing.

rubber

noun

A stretchy, water-resistant material made from the sap of certain trees or synthetically.

rubbered

adj

Covered or treated with rubber.

rubbers

noun

Waterproof overshoes worn to protect regular shoes from wet or muddy conditions.

rubbery

adjective

Having the texture or springiness of rubber.

rubbing

noun

An image made by pressing paper against a textured surface and shading over it with a crayon or similar tool.

rubbish

noun

(chiefly British) Waste material; trash or garbage.

rubble

noun

Broken fragments of stone, brick, or masonry, especially from a collapsed or demolished building.

rubdown

noun

A brisk, vigorous massage of the body.

rube

noun

(informal, often derogatory) An unsophisticated or naive person, especially someone from the countryside.

rubella

noun

A mild viral illness that causes a pink rash, a fever and swollen lymph nodes.

Ruben

name

A masculine given name, a variant of Reuben, of Hebrew origin meaning "behold, a son."

rubenesque

adj

Describing a woman's figure as full, curved and attractive.

Rubens

name

A surname, most famously that of Peter Paul Rubens, the celebrated Flemish Baroque painter.

Rubicon

noun

A point of no return — a decision or action that can't be undone once taken.

rubidium

noun

A soft, highly reactive metallic element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37.

Rubik

name

A Hungarian surname, best known from Ernő Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube puzzle.

Rubin

name

A surname of Jewish origin, a variant of Reuben, meaning "behold, a son."

Rubio

name

A Spanish surname meaning "blond" or "fair-haired."

ruble

noun

The main unit of currency in Russia and Belarus.

rubor

noun

Redness, one of the chief signs that tissue is inflamed.

rubric

noun

A set of scoring criteria that lays out exactly what a piece of work must show to earn each grade or mark.

ruby

noun

A precious gemstone that is a deep red variety of corundum.

ruck

noun

A large, tightly packed group of people or things.

Rucker

name

An English surname, historically an occupational name related to spinning or rock-making.

ruckle

noun

A rattling sound in the throat, like the sound made when someone is choking.

rucksack

noun

A bag with straps, carried on the back.

ruckus

noun

A noisy disturbance or commotion.

ruction

noun

A loud argument or fight.

Ruda

name

A surname and given name of Slavic origin, related to the word for "red" or "ore."

rudd

noun

A freshwater fish related to the carp, found in European lakes and rivers.

rudder

noun

A flat, hinged piece at the back of a boat or aircraft used to steer it.

ruddiness

noun

The quality of being ruddy.

ruddy

adjective

Having a healthy reddish color, especially in the face.

rude

adjective

Not polite; showing a lack of respect for others.

rudely

adverb

In an impolite or disrespectful way.

rudeness

noun

Impolite or disrespectful behavior.

Rudi

name

A masculine given name, a diminutive of Rudolf, of Germanic origin.

rudiment

noun

A basic principle or skill that forms the starting point for learning a subject.

rudimentary

adj

Basic or undeveloped; existing only in a simple or early form.

Rudnick

name

A surname of Slavic Jewish origin, likely derived from a place name related to iron ore.

Rudolf

name

A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "famous wolf."

Rudra

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, also the name of a fierce Hindu deity associated with storms.

Rudy

noun

A member of a Jamaican street-gang subculture of the 1960s and 70s associated with rude boy style and ska/rocksteady music.

rue

verb

To bitterly regret something, especially a decision or action.

rueful

adj

Showing or feeling regret or sadness, often in a way that is a little funny.

Ruel

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "friend of God."

rufescent

adj

Turning red, or slightly red in colour.

ruff

noun

A stiff, frilled collar worn around the neck, especially in 16th and 17th century fashion.

ruffian

noun

A violent, lawless, or thuggish person.

ruffle

noun

A gathered, frilled strip of fabric used as decoration on clothing.

ruffled

adj

Decorated with gathered frills of fabric.

Rufus

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "red-haired."

Rug

noun

A piece of thick fabric used to cover part of a floor.

rug pull

noun

A form of fraud in which the people behind a cryptocurrency project take the money investors have put in and abandon the project, leaving the remaining holders with a worthless or unsellable asset.

rugby

noun

A team sport played with an oval ball that can be carried, passed, or kicked, but not thrown forward.

Ruger

noun

A firearm made by the American gun manufacturer Ruger.