European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
"The gardener accidentally brushed against the rue plant, causing a stinging rash on his arm due to its irritating sap."
leaves sometimes used for flavoring fruit or claret cup but should be used with great caution: can cause irritation like poison ivy
"Chefs must handle rue with extreme care when adding it to a fruit salad, as the leaf contains potent oils that can irritate the skin just like poison ivy."
sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment
"he drank to drown his sorrows"
"he wrote a note expressing his regret"
"to his rue, the error cost him the game"
(French) a street or road in France
"The old stone building is located at number four on Rue de la Paix."
Sorrow; repentance; regret.
"The old apothecary kept a jar of dried rue on his shelf to use as an ingredient for traditional medicines."
Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines.
In plain English: A rue is an old-fashioned way to say you feel sorry for something bad that happened.
"He felt deep rue for his careless decision to leave early."
Usage: As a noun, "rue" refers either to an aromatic shrub historically used for medicinal purposes or metaphorically to deep sorrow and regret. When expressing remorse in everyday conversation, it is often more common than the verb form due to its poetic tone.
To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.
"The priest's sermon served to rue his past sins and encourage him to seek forgiveness."
In plain English: To rue something means to feel deep regret for an action you have already done and cannot change.
"He rues the day he decided to quit his job without another offer in hand."
A surname.
"The Rue family gathered at the annual reunion to celebrate their heritage as a distinguished surname."
The word "rue" comes from Old English hrēow, which originally meant sorrow or regret. It likely traces its roots back to a common ancestor shared with German and Dutch words for mourning.