rout

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Middle English rout, route (“group of people associated with one another, company; entourage, retinue; army; group of soldiers; group of pirates; large number of people, crowd; throng; group of disreputable people, mob; riot; group of animals; group of objects; proper condition or manner”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman route, rute, Middle French rote, route, Old French rote, route, rute (“group of people, company; group of armed people; group of criminals; group of cattle”) (modern French route (obsolete)), from Latin rupta (compare Late Latin ruta, rutta (“group of marauders; riot; unlawful assembly”)), the feminine of ruptus (“broken; burst, ruptured”), the perfect passive participle of rumpō (“to break, burst, rupture, tear; to force open; (figurative) to annul; to destroy; to interrupt”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to break; to tear (up)”). The English word is a doublet of route. The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to assemble, congregate; of animals: to herd together; to regroup, make a stand against; to be riotous, to riot”) [and other forms], from rout, route (noun); see above.

noun

1. (countable, obsolete) A group of people; a crowd, a throng, a troop; in particular (archaic), a group of people accompanying or travelling with someone.
   'Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?' he asked. 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 315
2. (countable, archaic) A group of animals, especially one which is lively or unruly, or made up of wild animals such as wolves; a flock, a herd, a pack.
3. (countable) A group of disorganized things.
4. (countable) A group of (often violent) criminals or gangsters; such people as a class; (more generally) a disorderly and tumultuous crowd, a mob; hence (archaic, preceded by the), the common people as a group, the rabble.
5. (countable, dated) A fashionable assembly; a large evening party, a soirée.
   The Ducheſs or Marlborough had one of the grandeſt routs that has been given for ſome time, almoſt the whole of the firſt people of rank and faſhion in England being preſent. This being a new birth to conviviality in Marlborough Houſe, and the firſt rout for theſe ſeven laſt years, it was uncommonly crouded. 1783 May, “Domestic Occurrences. [Thursday 8.]”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym; Edward Cave], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Chronicle, volume LIII, London: […] John Nichols, for D. Henry,[…], and sold by E[lizabeth] Newbery,[…], →OCLC, page 444, column 2
   Come then, ſweet ſpring's delights to taſte; / No longer, my Maria, waſte / Thoſe hours in routs and noiſe, … 1799 January, “An Ode. The Invitation.”, in The Monthly Magazine, or British Register, volume VII, part I, number XLI, London: […] R[ichard] Phillips,[…], →OCLC, page 43, column 1
   The ancients have always been opposed to them; just as, at routs and dances, elderly beauties to younger. 1826, Walter Savage Landor, “Conversation IV. Southey and Porson.”, in Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen, 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn,[…], →OCLC, page 78
   The envoys were not often compelled to forego the toilet for the desk, nor the beaux secretaires, to give up their lessons on the guitar for the drudgery of copying dispatches. A "protocol" would have scared the gentle state from its propriety; and the arrival of the Morning Post, once a week from London, with the account of routs in which they had not shared, and the anticipation of dinners and déjeûnés which they were never to enjoy, was the only pain which Diplomacy suffered to raise a ripple on the tranquil surface of its soul. 1832 January, “The Premier and His Wife: A Story of the Great World”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume XXXI, number CLXXXIX, Edinburgh: William Blackwood; London: T[homas] Cadell,[…], →OCLC, page 91, column 2
6. (countable, archaic) A noisy disturbance; also, a disorderly argument or fight, a brawl; (uncountable) disturbance of the peace, commotion, tumult.
7. (countable, law, historical) An illegal assembly of people; specifically, three or more people who have come together intending to do something illegal, and who have taken steps towards this, regarded as more serious than an unlawful assembly but not as serious as a riot; the act of assembling in this manner.

verb

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To assemble in a crowd, whether orderly or disorderly; to collect in company.

Etymology 2

The noun is derived from Middle French route (“military defeat; retreat”), from rout, archaic past participle of Middle French, Old French rompre (“to break; to break up, disperse”) (modern French rompre (“to break, snap; to break up (with someone)”)), from Latin rumpere, the present active infinitive of rumpō (“to break, burst, rupture, tear; to force open; (figurative) to annul; to destroy; to interrupt”); see further at etymology 1. The verb is derived from the noun.

noun

1. (originally military) The act of completely defeating an army or other enemy force, causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; (by extension) in politics, sport, etc.: a convincing defeat; a thrashing, a trouncing.
   The rout of the enemy was complete.
   The visiting football team was put to rout.
   It was only the outstanding [Petr] Cech that stood between Arsenal and a second-half rout as Spurs simply swamped their opponents after the break with a formidable display of power, pace and sheer intensity. 10 February 2018, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 0 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 2020-11-07
2. (military, also figurative) The retreat of an enemy force, etc., in this manner; also (archaic, rare), the army, enemy force, etc., so retreating.
   And the authorities in Moscow presented the rout in the northeast as a planned “regrouping.” 2022-09-11, Andrew E. Kramer, Andrew Higgins, “Ukraine Routs Russian Forces in Northeast, Forcing a Retreat”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

verb

1. (transitive) To completely defeat and force">force into disorderly retreat (an enemy force">force, opponent in sport, etc.).
   They write with eloquence against the men, using the men’s own language to embarrass them and sometimes even to rout them. 1977, Larry Mitchell, “It Takes All Kinds to Make the Revolutions”, in The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, New York, N.Y.: Nightboat Books, published 2020, part 2 (The Energy of Oppression), page 86
   Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip after Hamas routed secular Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and seized control of the enclave in June 2007. 30 January 2009, Adam Entous, “Mitchell Warns of Setbacks ahead in Mideast Talks”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 2009-02-02
2. (intransitive, archaic) To retreat from a confrontation in disorder.
   The Ra division broke in panic and fled up against the just-arriving Amon division, which as a result began to rout as well. 2005, Brian Todd Carey, “Warfare in the Ancient Near East: The Bronze and Early Iron Ages”, in Warfare in the Ancient World, Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, published 2013, page 18

Etymology 3

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to snore; to grunt, snort; to sleep; to dwell; to settle permanently”), [and other forms], from Old English hrūtan (“to snore; to make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrūtan (“to snore”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną, *hreutaną (“to snore”), from *hruttōną (“to snore; to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *kor-, *kr- (“to croak, crow”), *krut- (“to snore; to roar”), probably ultimately imitative. The English word is cognate with Icelandic rjóta, hrjóta (“to snore; to rattle, roar”), rauta (“to roar”), Middle Dutch ruyten (“to make a noise; to chatter, chirp”), Middle High German rūssen, rūzen (“to make a noise; to buzz; to rattle; to snore”), Norwegian Nynorsk ruta (“to make a loud noise; to roar, rumble”), Swedish ryta (“to bellow, roar; to scream or shout angrily”). Compare Old English rēotan, *hrēotan (“to make a noise; to make a noise in grief, lament, wail; to shed tears, weep”), from Proto-Germanic *reutaną; see further at etymology 4. The noun is derived from the verb. It is cognate with Southern Norwegian rut (“loud noise, din, roar”).

verb

1. (intransitive, chiefly England, regional) To snore, especially loudly.
2. (intransitive, chiefly England, regional) To make a noise; to bellow, to roar, to snort.
3. (intransitive, Scotland, archaic) Especially of the sea, thunder, wind, etc.: to make a loud roaring noise; to howl, to roar, to rumble.

noun

1. (chiefly Scotland) A loud, resounding noise, especially one made by the sea, thunder, wind, etc.; a roar.

Etymology 4

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to cry out, bellow, roar”) [and other forms], from Old Norse rauta (“to roar”), from Proto-Germanic *reutaną (“to cry, wail”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *HrewdH- (“to weep”), probably imitative. The English word is cognate with Danish ryde (“to low, moo”), Latin rudere, rūdere (“to bray; to cry”), Lithuanian raudóti (“to wail; to lament; to sob”), Norwegian raute (“to bellow; to low, moo”), Old Church Slavonic рꙑдати (rydati, “to wail, weep”), Old High German riozan (“to roar; to wail”) (Middle High German riezen (“to wail”)), Old Norse rjóta (“to roar”), Old Swedish riuta, ryta (“to howl, wail; to roar”) (modern Swedish ruta, ryta (“to howl; to roar”) (regional)), Old Swedish röta (“to bellow, roar”) (modern Swedish rauta, råta, rota, röta (“to bellow, roar”) (regional)), Sanskrit रुद् (rud, “to cry, wail, weep; to howl, roar; to bewail, deplore, lament”). The noun is derived from the verb, or from a noun derived from Old Norse rauta (“to roar”) (see above).

verb

1. (transitive) Of a person: to say or shout (something) loudly.
2. (intransitive) Of a person: to speak loudly; to bellow, roar, to shout.
3. (intransitive) Of an animal, especially cattle: to low or moo loudly; to bellow.

noun

1. A lowing or mooing sound by an animal, especially cattle; a bellow, a moo.
2. A loud shout; a bellow, a roar; also, an instance of loud and continued exclamation or shouting; a clamour, an outcry.

Etymology 5

A variant of wrout, itself a variant of wroot (“to search or root in the ground”) (obsolete), from Middle English wroten (“to search or root in the ground; of a person: to dig earth; of a worm: to slither, wriggle; to corrode; of a worm: to irritate by biting the skin; to destroy (a fortification) by digging or mining”) [and other forms] (whence root), from Old English wrōtan (“to root up or rummage with the snout”). from Proto-West Germanic *wrōtan, from Proto-Germanic *wrōtaną (“to dig with the nose or snout, to root”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps related to Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“a root”).

verb

1. (transitive) To dig or plough (earth or the ground); to till.
2. (transitive) Usually followed by out or up: of a person: to search for and find (something); also (transitive) to completely empty or clear out (something).
3. (transitive, chiefly US) Usually followed by from: to compel (someone) to leave a place; specifically (usually followed by out or up), to cause (someone) to get out of bed.
4. (transitive, intransitive) Of an animal, especially a pig: to search (for something) in the ground with the snout; to root.
   [L]et us try to realise a party of people arriving before daybreak, on a cold mizzly morning, at a sloppy piece of grassland, routed up by vagrant pigs, and poached into holes by horses out for their Sunday holiday, … 1859, “The Merrie Days of England”, in The National Magazine, volume V, London: W. Kent & Co.[…], →OCLC, page 154, column 1
   Here was Christmas with some Shorthorns, a black sow of Black Diamond blood, and one of the very best of the day, busily routing by the brook side, and a two-year-old cross between a blood horse and a Suffolk mare. 1864 July, H. H. B., “The Herds of Great Britain”, in The Farmer’s Magazine, volume XXIV (Third Series; volume LVI overall), number 1, London: Rogerson and Tuxford,[…], →OCLC, chapter XLIV (The Butley Abbey, the Playford, and the Wherstead), page 6
5. (transitive, intransitive) To use a gouge, router, or other tool to scoop out material (from a metallic, wooden, etc., surface), forming a groove or recess.
6. (intransitive) Of a person: to search through belongings, a place, etc.; to rummage.

Etymology 6

Possibly a variant of root (“to dig or pull out by the roots; to abolish, exterminate, root out”), from Middle English wroten; see further at etymology 5. Some recent uses are difficult to tell apart from rout (“of an animal, especially a pig: to search (for something) in the ground with the snout; to search for and find (something)”).

verb

1. (transitive) Usually followed by out or up: to dig or pull up (a plant) by the roots; to extirpate, to uproot.
2. (transitive, figurative) Usually followed by out: to find and eradicate (something harmful or undesirable); to root out.

Etymology 7

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to move quickly, rush; of waters: to churn, surge; to drag, pull; to throw; to agitate, shake; to beat, strike;”) [and other forms], from Old English hrūtan, from or cognate with Old Norse hrjóta (“to be flung; to fall; to fly”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną, *hreutaną (“to fall; to fly; to move quickly”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kreu- (“to fall, plunge; to rush; to topple”). The English word is cognate with Middle High German rûzen (“to move quickly, storm”), and is also related to Old English hrēosan (“to fall; to collapse; to rush”). The noun is derived from Middle English rout, route (“a blow; suffering, woe (?); a jerk, sharp pull”) [and other forms], from routen; see above.

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive, chiefly Scotland, archaic) To beat or strike (someone or something); to assail (someone or something) with blows.

noun

1. (chiefly Scotland, archaic) A violent movement; a heavy or stunning blow or stroke.

Etymology 8

Uncertain; either imitative of the bird’s call, or possibly from Icelandic hrota (“brant; brent goose”), also probably imitative though perhaps influenced by hrot (“a snore; act of snoring”), from hrjóta (“to snore”), from Old Norse hrjóta (“to snore”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną (“to snore”); see further at etymology 3.

noun

1. (Scotland, obsolete) The brant or brent goose (Branta bernicla).