rune

noun

ˈrün 

1

: any of the characters of any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3rd to the 13th centuries

2

: mystery, magic

3

[Finnish runo, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse rūn]

a

: a Finnish or Old Norse poem

b

: poem, song

runic

ˈrü-nik 

adjective

Illustration of rune

• Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet

Synonyms

• poem
• song

Examples of rune in a Sentence

wrote many mournful runes after her lover's untimely death

Recent Examples on the Web

Reading the runes of the Apple special event invites is always interesting. —David Phelan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

The speculation about the new album has been accompanied by a recent revamp of F+TM’s official website, which was wiped and updated with a landing page spotlighting a cryptic rune featuring two capital T’s along with four surrounding moon phases over a picture of a windswept field. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025

Further in the campaign, the shield is imbued with runes that give it other ways to attack. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 21 May 2025

Image Wagner boasted the sledgehammer as its symbol, a rune that denoted Russian power. —Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Old Norse & Old English rūn mystery, runic character, writing; akin to Old High German rūna secret discussion, Old Irish rún mystery

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rune

• boon
• brune
• coon
• croon
• dune
• goon
• hewn
• hoon
• june
• loon
• moon
• noon

Kids Definition

rune

noun

ˈrün 

: any of the characters of an alphabet used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3rd to the 13th centuries

runic

ˈrü-nik 

adjective