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runes
runes ancient characters used in Teutonic, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian inscriptions . They were probably first used by the East Goths (c.300), who are thought to have derived them from Helleno-Italic writing. The runes were adapted to carving on wood and stone; they consisted of perpendicular, oblique, and a few curved lines. The first six runic signs were for f, u, th, o ( a ) , r, c ( k ), hence the name Futhorc for the runic alphabets. There were two alphabets, one of 16 signs and the other of 24 (the same 16 with 8 additional signs). They were used extensively throughout N Europe, Iceland, England, Ireland, and Scotland until the establishment of Christianity. From then on the use of runes was reviled as a pagan practice. In Scandinavia their use persisted even after the Middle Ages; there they were used for manuscripts as well as inscriptions. The word rune is derived from an early Anglo-Saxon word meaning secret or mystery. |
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"runes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "runes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-runes.html "runes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-runes.html |
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RUNE
RUNE. A character in an ancient script of 24 angular LETTERS, usually cut on wood or carved in stone, and known as either the runic alphabet or Futhark/Futhorc (with or without an initial capital: from the names of its first six letters, regarded as equivalents of f, u, th, a or o, r, and k or c). The origin of the script is uncertain; most probably it was adapted by the Goths from the Etruscan ALPHABET and later influenced by Roman. It was used from the 3c to the 16/17c, especially in Scandinavia, Iceland, and Britain, to write GERMANIC LANGUAGES. Runes, long regarded as magical, have been used on monuments, in charms, in fortunetelling (casting the runes), and as decorative motifs. Each has a mnemonic name beginning with the sound of the letter, such as feoh (property) and ūr (bison) for the f and u symbols. The letters THORN (thorn) and WYNN (joy) were added to the Roman alphabet for writing OLD ENGLISH, and the runic name æsc (ASH) was given to the digraph æ. Runic writings survive in c.4,000 inscriptions and some manuscripts.
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TOM McARTHUR. "RUNE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "RUNE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-RUNE.html TOM McARTHUR. "RUNE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-RUNE.html |
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rune
rune a letter of an ancient Germanic alphabet, related to the Roman alphabet; the original runic alphabet dates from at least the 2nd or 3rd century, and was formed by modifying the letters of the Roman or Greek alphabet so as to facilitate cutting them upon wood or stone.
In Scandinavian mythology, runes (supposedly won for humankind by Odin) were also seen as having magical powers; in current British usage, the phrase read the runes means to try to forecast the outcome of a situation by analysing all the significant factors involved. The word comes from Old English rūn ‘a secret, a mystery’, not recorded between Middle English and the late 17th century, when it was reintroduced under the influence of Old Norse rúnir, rúnar ‘magic signs, hidden lore’. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "rune." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "rune." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-rune.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "rune." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-rune.html |
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rune
rune, a letter or character of the earliest surviving Germanic script, most extensively used in inscriptions on wood or stone by the Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons. The earliest runic alphabet seems to date from about the 3rd cent. ad, and is formed by modifying the letters of the Greek and Roman alphabets. Magical and mysterious powers were associated with runes from the Anglo-Saxon period, perhaps because of their employment in riddles, as in the Rune Poem, a 94-line piece illustrating the runes of the Anglo-Saxon Runic alphabet, the Futhorc.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "rune." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "rune." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-rune.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "rune." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-rune.html |
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rune
rune / roōn/ • n. a letter of an ancient Germanic alphabet, related to the Roman alphabet. ∎ a similar mark of mysterious or magic significance. ∎ (runes) small stones, pieces of bone, etc., bearing such marks, and used as divinatory symbols: the casting of the runes. ∎ a spell or incantation. ∎ a section of the Kalevala or of an ancient Scandinavian poem. DERIVATIVES: ru·nic / ˈroōnik/ adj. |
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"rune." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "rune." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-rune.html "rune." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-rune.html |
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rune
rune character of the earliest Germanic alphabet. XVII. Adopted from Danish writers on Northern antiquities, and repr. ON. *rún, pl. rúnar, rúnir secret or hidden lore, runes, magical signs (Sw. runa, Da. rune) = OE. rūn mystery, runic letter, secret consultation, OS., OHG., Goth. rūna (cf. ROUND2).
So runic XVII. — modL. rūnicus. |
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T. F. HOAD. "rune." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "rune." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-rune.html T. F. HOAD. "rune." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-rune.html |
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runes
runes Angular characters or letters of an alphabet formerly used by Germanic peoples in early medieval times. Also called futhark after its first six letters (f, u, th, a, r, and k), the runic alphabet may have been developed by an unknown Germanic people from a n Italian alphabet.
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"runes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "runes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-runes.html "runes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-runes.html |
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Rune
Rune ♂ (Scandinavian) From Old Norse Rúni, a short form of various male compound names formed with rún ‘rune, secret lore’, for example Rúnólfr. It has been very popular since the 20th century.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Rune." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Rune." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Rune.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Rune." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Rune.html |
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rune
rune •afternoon, attune, autoimmune, baboon, balloon, bassoon, bestrewn, boon, Boone, bridoon, buffoon, Cameroon, Cancún, cardoon, cartoon, Changchun, cocoon, commune, croon, doubloon, dragoon, dune, festoon, galloon, goon, harpoon, hoon, immune, importune, impugn, Irgun, jejune, June, Kowloon, lagoon, lampoon, loon, macaroon, maroon, monsoon, moon, Muldoon, noon, oppugn, picayune, platoon, poltroon, pontoon, poon, prune, puccoon, raccoon, Rangoon, ratoon, rigadoon, rune, saloon, Saskatoon, Sassoon, Scone, soon, spittoon, spoon, swoon, Troon, tune, tycoon, typhoon, Walloon
•fortune, misfortune
•vodun • veldskoen • honeymoon
•forenoon • tablespoon • teaspoon
•soupspoon • dessertspoon • Neptune
•tribune • triune • opportune
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"rune." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "rune." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-rune.html "rune." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-rune.html |
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