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# rune

noun (a rune, runes)

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

## Everyday

1. A letter of an old alphabet used by Vikings and other Germanic peoples, carved on wood, stone or bone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#m1)
2. A mark or symbol that is believed to have magic or secret meaning, as in fantasy stories and games. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#m2)
3. A rune can also be a short magic chant or verse that is sung or spoken. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#m3)

### In the lessons

In history lessons, runes are the Viking alphabet (called the futhark) carved on rune stones. In fantasy books and games, runes are magical symbols. Phrases: rune stone, carved runes, ancient runes, to read the runes (UK idiom: to guess what will happen).

### Examples

- The Vikings carved runes on stones. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x1)
- We wrote our names in runes in history class. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x2)
- The runes on the old sword glowed in the story. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x3)
- Rune stones can still be seen in Sweden. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x4)
- The wizard read the runes in his spell book. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x5)
- Some runes look like straight lines and arrows because they were easy to carve. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x6)
- Into this his wife laid one of the logs he had cut, and began swinging it, crooning the while a rune beginning [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rune/#x7)

### Note

Countable: a rune, runes. Adjective: runic. There is no proof runes ever had real magic; old people sometimes believed they did.

## On Mova

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