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rook - 11 dictionary results

rook

1  [rook] ,
Use rook in a Sentence
–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)
3. to cheat; fleece; swindle.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME rok(e), OE hrōc; c. ON hrōkr, OHG hruoh

rook

2  [rook] ,
–noun Chess.
one of two pieces of the same color that may be moved any number of unobstructed squares horizontally or vertically; castle.
Origin:
1300–50; ME rok < OF roc < Ar rukhkh < Pers rukh
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rook 1   (rŏŏk)   
n.  
  1. An Old World bird (Corvus frugilegus) that resembles the North American crow and nests in colonies near the tops of trees.
  2. A swindler or cheat, especially at games.
tr.v.   rooked, rook·ing, rooks
To swindle; cheat: Customers are afraid of being rooked by unscrupulous vendors.

[Middle English rok, from Old English hrōc.]
rook 2   (rŏŏk)   
n.   Abbr. R
A chess piece that may move in a straight line over any number of empty squares in a rank or file. Also called castle.

[Middle English rok, from Old French roc, from Arabic ruḫḫ, from Persian.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Rook

Rook\ (r[oo^]k), n. Mist; fog. See Roke. [Obs.]

Rook

Rook\, v. i. To squat; to ruck. [Obs.] --Shak.

Rook

Rook\, n. [F. roc (cf. Sp. roque), fr. Per. & Ar. rokh, or rukh, the rook or castle at chess, also the bird roc (in this sense perhaps a different word); cf. Hind. rath a war chariot, the castle at chess, Skr. ratha a car, a war car. Cf. Roll.] (Chess) One of the four pieces placed on the corner squares of the board; a castle.

Rook

Rook\, n. [AS. hr[=o]c; akin to OHG. hruoh, ruoh, ruoho, Icel. hr[=o]kr, Sw. roka, Dan. raage; cf. Goth. hrukjan to crow.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A European bird (Corvus frugilegus) resembling the crow, but smaller. It is black, with purple and violet reflections. The base of the beak and the region around it are covered with a rough, scabrous skin, which in old birds is whitish. It is gregarious in its habits. The name is also applied to related Asiatic species.

The rook . . . should be treated as the farmer's friend. --Pennant.

2. A trickish, rapacious fellow; a cheat; a sharper. --Wycherley.

Rook

Rook\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Rooked; p. pr. & vb. n. Rooking.] To cheat; to defraud by cheating. "A band of rooking officials." --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : rook
Spanish: grajo,
German: die Saatkrähe,
Japanese: みやまがらす
More Translations »

rook  (1)
"European crow," O.E. hroc, from P.Gmc. *khrokaz (cf. O.N. hrokr, M.Du. roec, M.Swed. roka, O.H.G. hruoh), possibly imitative of its raucous voice. Used as a disparaging term for persons since at least 1508, and extended by 1577 to mean "a cheat," especially at cards or dice. The verb "to defraud by cheating" (originally especially in a game) is first attested 1590. Rookery "colony of rooks" is from 1725.

rook  (2)
"chess piece," c.1300, from O.Fr. roc, from Ar. rukhkh, from Pers. rukh, of unknown meaning, perhaps somehow related to the Indian name for the piece, rut, from Hindi rath "chariot." Confused in M.E. with roc (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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