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rune 1 (rn)
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n.
1.
a. Any of the characters in several alphabets used by ancient Germanic peoples from the 3rd to the 13th century.
b. A similar character in another alphabet, sometimes believed to have magic powers.
2. A poem or incantation of mysterious significance, especially a magic charm.

[Modern revival (partly via New Latin runa and Danish rune) of Old Norse and Old English rūn, from Proto-Germanic *rūnō; akin to Proto-Celtic *rūnā, secret, magic (compare Old Irish rún, secret, and Welsh rhin, magic charm) and perhaps further akin to Old English rēonien, to murmur, conspire, and Latin rūmor, rumor.]

Word History: Among early peoples writing was a serious thing, full of magical power. In its only reference to writing, the Iliad calls it “baneful signs.” The Germanic peoples used a runic alphabet as their form of writing, using it to identify combs or helmets, make calendars, encode secret messages, and mark funeral monuments. Runes were also employed in casting spells, as to gain a kiss from a sweetheart or to make an enemy's gut burst. In casting a spell the writing of the runes was accompanied by a mumbled or chanted prayer or curse, also called a rune, to make the magic work. These two meanings also appear in Old English rūn, the ancestor of our word. The direct descendants of Old English rūn are the archaic verb round, “whisper, talk in secret,” and the obsolete noun roun, “whispering, secret talk.” The use of the word to refer to inscribed runic characters was revived by Danish writers who adopted it from Old Norse toward the end of the 1600s and used it in discussions of Germanic antiquities.
(click for a larger image)
rune1
detail of inscribed runes
on a stone
near Källby, Sweden

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
rune 2 (rn)
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n.
A Finnish poem or section of a poem.

[Finnish runo, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse and Old English rūn, mystery, incantation, runic character; see RUNE1.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.