Dictionary:
rue2 (rū)  |
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rūta, probably from Greek rhūtē.]
| English Folklore: rue |
By coincidence, the name of this plant (from Greek, via French) is identical with an English word meaning ‘to regret bitterly’, and so the plant symbolized grief or repentance. Discussing Herefordshire wedding customs, Ella M. Leather records an incident where a jilted girl waited in the porch at her ex-lover's wedding and, as the couple emerged, threw a handful of rue at them, in a parody of the throwing of flower petals, saying, ‘May you rue this day as long as you live!’ This curse was thought particularly effective because the rue ‘was taken direct from the plant to the churchyard, and thrown “between holy and unholy ground”, that is, between church and churchyard’. Other jilted girls had put a bunch of rue enclosing a half-eaten slice of bread and butter in the church porch (Leather, 1912: 115).
Medicinally, rue tea was used in East Anglia for stomach ache and as a spring tonic (Hatfield, 1994: 54, 56), but also to cause abortions (Chamberlain, 1981: 122, 128).
| Columbia Encyclopedia: rue |
| WordNet: rue |
The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
European strong-scented perennial herb with gray-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
Synonyms: herb of grace, Ruta graveolens
Meaning #2:
leaves sometimes used for flavoring fruit or claret cup but should be used with great caution: can cause irritation like poison ivy
The verb rue has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
Synonyms: repent, regret
| Wikipedia: Rue |
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Look up rue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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 Fringed Rue
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Between 8-40 species, including: |
Rue (Ruta) is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20-60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and southwest Asia. Different authors accept between 8 and 40 species in the genus. The most well-known species is the Common Rue.
The leaves are bipinnate or tripinnate, with a feathery appearance, and green to strongly glaucous blue-green in colour. The flowers are yellow, with 4-5 petals, about 1 cm diameter, and borne in cymes. The fruit is a 4-5 lobed capsule, containing numerous seeds.
It was used extensively in Middle Eastern cuisine in olden days, as well as in many ancient Roman recipes (according to Apicius), but because it is very bitter, it is usually not suitable for most modern tastes. However, it is still used in certain parts of the world, particularly in northern Africa. In Italy rue leaves are sometimes added to grappa to obtain grappa alla ruta.
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According to The Oxford Book of Health Foods, extracts from rue have been used to treat eyestrain, sore eyes, and as an insect repellent. Rue has been used internally as an antispasmodic, as a treatment for menstrual problems, as an abortifacient, and as a sedative.[1]
Caution should be taken with using rue topically. When applied to the skin with sun exposure, the oil and leaves can cause blistering. Rue oil can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting and convulsions and may be fatal.[2] Some people are much more sensitive than others.
Rue is mentioned in the Bible, Luke 11.42: "But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs".
It has also sometimes been called "herb-of-grace" in literary works. It is one of the flowers distributed by the mad Ophelia in William Shakespeare's Hamlet (IV.5):
It was also planted by the gardener in Shakespeare's Richard II to mark the spot where the Queen wept upon hearing news of Richard's capture (III.4.104-105):
Rue is considered a national herb of Lithuania and it is the most frequently referred herb in Lithuanian folk songs, as an attribute of young girls, associated with virginity and maidenhood.
In mythology, the basilisk, whose breath could cause plants to wilt and stones to crack, had no effect on rue. Weasels who were bitten by the basilisk would retreat and eat rue in order to recover and return to fight.
In the novel The Hunger Games, the female tribute from District 11 is named Rue.
Chervona Ruta (Червона Рута) Red Rue - A song, written by Volodymyr Ivasyuk - a popular Ukrainian poet and composer.
Pop singer Sofia Rotaru performed the song "Chervona Ruta" in 1971. The song became part of Ukrainian and Russian pop culture. Recently Rotaru performed in in a rap arrangement. After Rotaru's performance, a number of musical bands, a film (Chervona Ruta)), organisations and companies were named Chervona Ruta on the territory of the former USSR. The name of the song comes from the Ukrainian legend about Chervona Ruta.
The progressive metal band Symphony X named a song "Absinthe and Rue" on their first album, Symphony X, and Kathleen Battle, American soprano, has recorded the song cycle "Honey and Rue" written by composer Andre Previn in collaboration with the Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.
Many traditional English folk songs use rue to symbolise regret. Often it is paired with thyme: thyme used to symbolise virginity, and rue the regret supposed to follow its loss.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| English Folklore. A Dictionary of English Folklore. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rue". Read more |
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