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runemore about rune

rune

 

  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Rune  \Rune\  (r[udd]n),  n.  [AS.  r[=u]n  a  rune,  a  secret,  a 
  mystery;  akin  to  Icel.  r[=u]n,  OHG.  &  Goth.  r[=u]na  a  secret, 
  secret  colloquy,  G.  &  Dan.  rune  rune,  and  probably  to  Gr 
  'ereyna^n  to  search  for  Cf  {Roun}  to  whisper.] 
  1.  A  letter,  or  character,  belonging  to  the  written  language 
  of  the  ancient  Norsemen,  or  Scandinavians;  in  a  wider 
  sense  applied  to  the  letters  of  the  ancient  nations  of 
  Northern  Europe  in  general. 
 
  Note:  The  Norsemen  had  a  peculiar  alphabet,  consisting  of 
  sixteen  letters,  or  characters,  called  runes,  the 
  origin  of  which  is  lost  in  the  remotest  antiquity.  The 
  signification  of  the  word  rune  (mystery)  seems  to 
  allude  to  the  fact  that  originally  only  a  few  were 
  acquainted  with  the  use  of  these  marks,  and  that  they 
  were  mostly  applied  to  secret  tricks,  witchcrafts  and 
  enchantments.  But  the  runes  were  also  used  in 
  communication  by  writing. 
 
  2.  pl  Old  Norse  poetry  expressed  in  runes. 
 
  Runes  were  upon  his  tongue,  As  on  the  warrior's 
  sword.  --Longfellow. 
 
  {Rune  stone},  a  stone  bearing  a  runic  inscription. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  rune 
  n  :  any  character  from  an  ancient  Germanic  alphabet  used  in 
  Scandinavia  from  the  3rd  century  to  the  Middle  Ages; 
  "each  rune  had  its  own  magical  significance"  [syn:  {runic 
  letter}]




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