rose

1 of 4

Synonyms of rose next

past tense of rise

rose

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈrōz

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers having five petals in the wild state but being often double or partly double under cultivation

: the flower of a rose

: something resembling a rose in form: such as

a(1)

: compass card

(2)

: a circular card with radiating lines used in other instruments

: a rosette especially on a shoe

: rose cut

roses plural : an easy or pleasant situation or task

it was not all sunshine and roses—

Anthony Lewis

: a moderate purplish red

: a plane curve which consists of three or more loops meeting at the origin and whose equation in polar coordinates is of the form ρ = a sin nθ or ρ = a cos nθ where n is an integer greater than zero

roselike

ˈrōz-ˌlīk

adjective

rose

3 of 4

adjective

: containing or used for roses

: of or relating to a rose

: flavored, scented, or colored with or like roses

: of the color rose

rosé

4 of 4

noun (2)

ro·sé rō-ˈzā

: a light pink table wine made from red grapes by removing the skins after fermentation has begun

Phrases

under the rose

: sub rosa

Example Sentences

Noun (1) He sent a dozen red roses to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her ending point, in her own brilliantly literary libretto set to her brilliantly head-spinning mix of musical elements, is a flabbergasting commentary about a protagonist who falls head-over-heels in love with a rose. —

Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2023 Get acquainted with a sparkling rose and peach Bellini margarita or a jalapeno pineapple rita (rocks only). —

Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2023 The prop looks like a Russell Stover box with a rose on the lid and pictures of assorted candies on the bottom, including a pecan cluster and buttercream caramel. —

Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2023 Scotland became associated with the thistle, England with the rose, and Ireland with the clover. —

Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 10 Feb. 2023 Cara Ammon, Holland Parsons, Lekha Ravi, Olivia Lewis, Olivia Miller, Becca Serrano, Sonia Sharma, Vanessa Dinh, and Viktoria Eichner all get eliminated during the first rose ceremony. —

Madison Johnson, Women's Health, 23 Jan. 2023 In Papo's photograph, they are taped to a white tile wall above a vase with a rose. —

Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 13 Dec. 2022 The most luxurious milk teas that will be on offer are covered in an edible 24k gold foil and topped with a red rose. —

Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2022 Laila Gohar sometimes sees herself in her dishes — like a champagne jelly of a koi fish stuffed with a rose. —

New York Times, 13 May 2022

Adjective

For more information about the i4's efficiency ratings, visit the EPA website. Interior, Comfort, and Cargo Inside, the i4's cabin is richly appointed, including the availability of rose gold trim, white leather upholstery, and light wood trim. —

Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 9 Mar. 2023 Cosgrove wrote alongside a backseat selfie with the bride, their rose bouquets on display. —

Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2023 The rose group was established in 2000 and is open to the general public. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023 And then, the taste hit me: sweet and nutty with a subtle earthy, flowery undertone from rose water. —

Rachel Gurjar, Bon Appétit, 3 Mar. 2023 Her rose eyeshadow was accented with gold shadow and dewy skin and a pinkish-nude lip brought the whole look together. —

Danielle James, ELLE, 27 Feb. 2023 Garnish with rose petals. —Adapted from Sean McClure of the Ivory Peacock, New York City Click here to view this recipe in our recipes section. —

Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 24 Feb. 2023 Two big things happen at the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party. —

Lia Beck, refinery29.com, 22 Sep. 2021 There isn't much time left in the episode when the men arrive for the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party. —

Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 13 July 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, in part going back to Old English rōse, borrowed from Latin rosa "rose, rosebush"; in part borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin rosa, perhaps borrowed from an unattested derivative of Greek rhódon "rose" — more at rhodo-

Note: Latin rosa is similar enough to Greek rhódon that a relationship seems likely, but its nature is unclear. An outcome of rhodéā "rosebush" with a sibilant transmitted to Latin through Etruscan might explain the failure of -s- to rhotacize (unless rhotacism was nullified by the dissimilatory effect of the initial r). Both the Greek and Latin words have been attributed to a Mediterranean substratum, but this does not jibe with the presumed Iranian origin of rhódon.

Adjective

from attributive use of rose entry 2

Noun (2)

borrowed from French (short for vin rosé), from rosé "tinted with rose color, reddish, pink," from rose rose entry 2 + -é -ate entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of rose was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing rose

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rose. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

rose

1 of 3

past of rise

rose

2 of 3 noun

ˈrōz

: any of a genus of usually prickly sometimes climbing shrubs that have compound leaves and showy often fragrant white, yellow, red, pink, or orange flowers

: the flower of a rose

: a medium purplish red

roselike

-ˌlīk

adjective

rose

3 of 3 adjective

: of, relating to, resembling, or used for the rose or roses

: of the color rose

Medical Definition

rose

noun

ˈrōz

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers of which some are sources of rose oil

: the flower of a rose

: erysipelas