rook

1
[ rook ]
See synonyms for rook on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a black, European crow, Corvus frugilegus, noted for its gregarious habits.

  2. a sharper at cards or dice; swindler.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cheat; fleece; swindle.

Origin of rook

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English rok(e), Old English hrōc; cognate with Old Norse hrōkr, Old High German hruoh

Words Nearby rook

Other definitions for rook (2 of 2)

rook2
[ rook ]

nounChess.
  1. one of two pieces of the same color that may be moved any number of unobstructed squares horizontally or vertically; castle.

Origin of rook

2
1300–50; Middle English rok<Old French roc<Arabic rukhkh<Persian rukh

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rook in a sentence

  • Beryn was 'in hevy plyghte,' when he only lost a rook for nothing; Tale of Beryn, 1812.

  • The Consul had a good rook-rifle with him; and the kavass, a Serb by nationality, was a very good shot with it.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • "Hear, hear," said everybody except the crow, who hated the rook.

    Wood Magic | Richard Jefferies
  • Luke is, doubtless, the stray rook, and a fledgeling hath flown hither from a distant country.

    Rookwood | William Harrison Ainsworth
  • He was mounted on his old horse, rook, and looked grim and haggard as a ghost vanishing at the crowing of the cock.

    Rookwood | William Harrison Ainsworth

British Dictionary definitions for rook (1 of 2)

rook1

/ (rʊk) /


noun
  1. a large Eurasian passerine bird, Corvus frugilegus, with a black plumage and a whitish base to its bill: family Corvidae (crows)

  2. slang a swindler or cheat, esp one who cheats at cards

verb
  1. (tr) slang to overcharge, swindle, or cheat

Origin of rook

1
Old English hrōc; related to Old High German hruoh, Old Norse hrōkr

British Dictionary definitions for rook (2 of 2)

rook2

/ (rʊk) /


noun
  1. a chesspiece that may move any number of unoccupied squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically: Also called: castle

Origin of rook

2
C14: from Old French rok, ultimately from Arabic rukhkh

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012