rook
1a black, European crow, Corvus frugilegus, noted for its gregarious habits.
a sharper at cards or dice; swindler.
Origin of rook
1Other definitions for rook (2 of 2)
one of two pieces of the same color that may be moved any number of unobstructed squares horizontally or vertically; castle.
Origin of rook
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rook in a sentence
From without, the cawing of rooks and shouts of children at play are faintly audible.
The rooks were awake in Randolph Crescent; but the windows looked down, discreetly blinded, on the return of the prodigal.
Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis StevensonYou see rooks build higher than any other birds, and that was not taken into account in the radiation.
The Romance of His Life | Mary CholmondeleyIt was a green and amber evening, with the shadows already deepening over Coombe Woods and the calling of homing rooks in the air.
In Accordance with the Evidence | Oliver OnionsHotham is now fairly gone, weeks ago; concluded to be now in Berlin,—to the horror of both rooks.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.) | Thomas Carlyle
British Dictionary definitions for rook (1 of 2)
/ (rʊk) /
a large Eurasian passerine bird, Corvus frugilegus, with a black plumage and a whitish base to its bill: family Corvidae (crows)
slang a swindler or cheat, esp one who cheats at cards
(tr) slang to overcharge, swindle, or cheat
Origin of rook
1British Dictionary definitions for rook (2 of 2)
/ (rʊk) /
a chesspiece that may move any number of unoccupied squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically: Also called: castle
Origin of rook
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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