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# rue

verb (rue, rues, rued, ruing); noun (rue — a plant; la rue — French)

«rue» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal, literary) To rue something means to feel sorry about it and wish it had not happened, as in «you'll rue the day». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#m1)
2. Rue is a strong-smelling herb with yellow flowers and bluish leaves, used in the past as a medicine. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#m2)
3. (French) «Rue» is the French word for street, as in «rue de la Paix»; to an English ear it sounds a bit like «roo» with a tight, rounded mouth, and it is not an English word for street. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#m3)

### In the lessons

In stories, a villain may threaten, «You'll rue the day you crossed me!», meaning you will regret it. In history and Shakespeare-style literature, rue was a symbol of sorrow. In French lessons and on French street signs, «rue» means street. Phrases: «rue the day», «la rue».

### Examples

- You'll rue the day you laughed at me! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x1)
- He rued his decision not to bring a coat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x2)
- The team rued their missed chances. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x3)
- Rue grew in the old herb garden. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x4)
- The bakery is on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x5)
- In French, «la rue» means «the street». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x6)
- ‘Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/#x7)

### Note

Verb: rued, ruing (or rueing). It is formal and old-fashioned; everyday English says «regret». Related: rueful (sorry, regretful). Homophone: «roo» (Australian slang for kangaroo).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «rue» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rue/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«rue» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/rue.html) on Mova free.