Rook

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹʊk/
• Rhymes: -ÊŠk

Middle English rok, roke, from Old English hrōc, from Proto-Germanic *hrōkaz (compare Saterland Frisian Rouk, Dutch roek, obsolete German Ruch), from Proto-Indo-European *kVr-c 'crow, raven' (compare Middle Irish cerc 'hen', Old Prussian kerko 'loon, diver', dialectal Bulgarian крокон 'raven', Ancient Greek κόραξ 'falcon', Old Armenian ագռաւ, Avestan kahrkatat 'rooster' , Sanskrit कृकर 'rooster'), Ukrainian крук (kruk, "raven").

Full definition of rook

Noun

1. A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.
• PennantThe rook ... should be treated as the farmer's friend.
2. A cheat or swindler; someone who betrays.
3. (British) a type of firecracker used by farmers to scare birds of the same name.

Synonyms

• (swindler) swindler, cheat

Hypernyms

• (bird) bird
• (firecracker) firecracker

Verb

1. (transitive) To cheat or swindle.
• 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York 2007, p. 311:Some had spent a week in Jersey before coming to Guernsey; and, from what Paddy had heard, they really do know how to rook the visitors over there.

Synonyms

• (cheat, swindle) cheat, con, do, dupe, have, swindle

From Old French roc, ultimately from Persian رخ. Compare roc.

Noun

1. (chess) A piece shaped like a castle tower, that can be moved only up, down, left or right (but not diagonally) or in castling.
2. (rare) A castle or other fortification.
3. An Amish card game.

Synonyms

• (chesspiece) castle

From rookie.

Noun

1. (baseball, slang) A rookie.

Noun

1. mist; fog; roke

Verb

1. (obsolete) To squat; to ruck.

Anagrams

• koro