rout

noun (1)

\ ˈrau̇t

Definition of rout

(Entry 1 of 5)

1 : a state of wild confusion or disorderly retreat

2a : a disastrous defeat : debacle

b : a precipitate flight

rout

verb (1)

\ ˈrau̇t

routed; routing; routs

Definition of rout (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

1a : to defeat decisively or disastrously the discomfiture of seeing their party routed at the polls— A. N. Holcombe

b : to put to precipitate flight

c : to disorganize completely : demoralize

2 : to drive out : dispel

rout

noun (2)

\ ˈrau̇t

Definition of rout (Entry 3 of 5)

1 : a crowd of people specifically : rabble sense 2b

2a : disturbance

b archaic : fuss

3 : a fashionable gathering

rout

verb (2)

\ ˈrau̇t

routed; routing; routs

Definition of rout (Entry 4 of 5)

intransitive verb

1 : to poke around with the snout : root pigs routing in the earth

2 : to search haphazardly

transitive verb

1 : to come up with : uncover scouts … routing out new talent— Carrie Donovan

2a : to force out as if by digging —usually used with out

b : to cause to emerge especially from bed

3a : to gouge out or make a furrow in (something, such as wood or metal)

b archaic : to dig up with the snout

rout

verb (3)

\ ˈrōt

, ˈrüt\

routed; routing; routs

Definition of rout (Entry 5 of 5)

intransitive verb

dialectal, chiefly British

: to low loudly : bellow —used of cattle

First Known Use of rout

Noun (1)

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb (1)

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

circa 1564, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Verb (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for rout

Noun (1)

borrowed from Middle French route "defeat, disorderly retreat," noun derivative from feminine of rout, alternate past participle of rompre "to defeat, put to flight," literally, "to break, smash," going back to Old French, going back to Latin rumpere — more at route entry 1

Verb (1)

derivative of rout entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English route "group, band of soldiers, crowd," borrowed from Anglo-French route, rute "band, herd, armed force," going back to Vulgar Latin *rupta "detachment," literally, "something broken off," going back to Latin, feminine of ruptus, past participle of rumpere "to break" — more at route entry 1

Verb (2)

presumed to be variant of wroot, root entry 3 (though alteration of vowel is unexplained)

Verb (3)

Middle English (northern) & early Scots rowten, rowte, borrowed from Old Norse rauta "to roar," going back to Germanic *rautōjan-, probably derivative of a noun *raut- "bellowing, roaring," from an ablaut derivative of *reutan- (whence Old English rēotan "to weep, wail," Old High German riozan "to weep, mourn," Old Swedish riuta "to roar"), going back to Indo-European *Hreu̯d- "produce a loud sound, weep," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Latin rudere, rūdere "to make a loud noise, bellow, bray," Lithuanian raudóti "to sob, weep," Old Church Slavic rydati, Sanskrit rodiṣi "(you) weep"