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rook

 - 7 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.
Cite This Source Link To rook
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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Slang Dictionary
rook [rʊk]

  1. tv.
    to cheat someone. : Don't go into that store. They'll rook you.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

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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