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Rue vs Sue - What's the difference?

rue | sue |

In obsolete transitive terms the difference between rue and sue

is that rue is to cause to feel sorrow or pity while sue is to court.

In transitive terms the difference between rue and sue

is that rue is to repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place while sue is to seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead.

As a proper noun Sue is

a diminutive of Susan and of related female given names; popular as a middle name.

rue

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) rewe, reowe, from (etyl) .

Noun

(-)
  • (archaic, or, dialectal) Sorrow; repentance; regret.
  • (archaic, or, dialectal) Pity; compassion.
  • Derived terms
    * rueful * ruth

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , from Germanic. Cognate with Dutch rouwen, German reuen.

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.
  • (obsolete) To cause to feel sorrow or pity.
  • To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.
  • I rued the day I crossed paths with her.
  • * (rfdate) Chapman
  • I wept to see, and rued it from my heart.
  • * (rfdate) Milton
  • Thy will chose freely what it now so justly rues .
  • (archaic) To feel compassion or pity.
  • * Late 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Franklin's Tale’, Canterbury Tales
  • Madame, reweth upon my peynes smerte
  • * (rfdate) Ridley
  • which stirred men's hearts to rue upon them
  • (archaic) To feel sorrow or regret.
  • * (rfdate) Tennyson
  • Old year, we'll dearly rue for you.
    Usage notes
    Most frequently used in the collocation “rue the day”.

    Etymology 3

    (wikipedia rue) From (etyl) ruwe, (etyl) rue (> modern French rue), from (etyl) . Compare (rude).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta , especially the herb , formerly used in medicines.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , III.2:
  • But th'aged Nourse, her calling to her bowre, / Had gathered Rew , and Savine, and the flowre / Of Camphora, and Calamint, and Dill [...].
  • * c. 1600 , (William Shakespeare), , (Ophelia):
  • There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s rue''' for you; and here’s some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your ' rue with a difference.
    Synonyms
    * garden rue * herb of grace
    Derived terms
    * goat's rue * rue anemone * Syrian rue * wall rue

    References

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    sue

    English

    Verb

  • To follow.
  • * , Bk.XIII, Ch.iv:
  • And the olde knyght seyde unto the yonge knyght, ‘Sir, swith me.’
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queen) , III.iv:
  • though oft looking backward, well she vewd, / Her selfe freed from that foster insolent, / And that it was a knight, which now her sewd , / Yet she no lesse the knight feard, then that villein rude.
  • (label) To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal action.
  • (label) To seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead.
  • To clean (the beak, etc.).
  • To leave high and dry on shore.
  • To court.
  • Derived terms

    * sue for peace

    Anagrams

    * * ----