View synonyms for

rote

[roht]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

proceeding mechanically and repetitiously; being mechanical and repetitious in nature; routine; habitual.
rote performance;
rote implementation;
His behavior became more rote with every passing year.

noun

a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure; routine.
the rote of daily living.

rote

Also rota

[roht]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Music.

crowd.

rote

[roht]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

rote

/ ��əʊ�� /

noun

a habitual or mechanical routine or procedure
by repetition; by heart (often in the phrase learn by rote )

rote

/ ��əʊ�� /

noun

an ancient violin-like musical instrument; crwth

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of rote¹

First recorded in 1300–150; Middle English; of obscure origin

Origin of rote²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rote, rotte, route, a kind of harp, from Old French rote, route “stringed instrument,” from unattested Frankish hrota (compare Old High German hruozza ); akin to crowd ²

Origin of rote³

First recorded in 1600–10; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Norse rauta “to roar”

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of rote¹

C14: origin unknown

Origin of rote²

C13: from Old French rote , of Germanic origin; related to Old High German rotta , Middle Dutch rotte

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning; in a mechanical way.
to learn a language by rote.

see by heart (rote).

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Some of the pieces in the book written before this real-life catastrophe, though, suffer from the rote world-weariness of the columnist accustomed to griping to order.

From

If one looks past Kennedy's rote words to his actions, a much different picture emerges, and it becomes clear that he thinks vaccines are for weak, lazy parents.

From

The early songs that fans know by rote — “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” among others — came fast, in a mad swirl of ideas tied to a steady work ethic.

From

By depersonalizing death and making it into a rote spectacle, Perkins loses any heart that could give his film the resonance it so desperately needs.

From

He mostly just gave his usual stream-of-consciousness "weave" about whatever topic engaged him that day, interspersed with some rote words on the teleprompter written by a campaign staffer.

From

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

R.O.T.C.rotenone

Browse