rote

UK: /rəʊt/ US: /roʊt/ ,(rōt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

rote¹ /roʊt/   n. [uncountable]

1. a routine;
   a fixed, habitual, or mechanical procedure.

Idioms

2. Idioms by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning:
   to learn a language by rote.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rote¹ (rōt),  n. 

1. routine;
   a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure:
   the rote of daily living.
2. by rote, from memory, without thought of the meaning;
   in a mechanical way:
   to learn a language by rote.

• 1275–1325; Middle English; of obscure origin, originally

rote² (rōt), n. [Music.]

1. Music and Dance crowd².

Also, rota, rotta, rotte. 

• Frankish *hrota (compare Old High German hruozza); akin to crowd²
• Old French
• Middle English 1350–1400

rote³ (rōt), n. 

1. the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

• Old Norse rauta roar
• perh. 1600–10

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rote / rəʊt/ noun

1. a habitual or mechanical routine or procedure
2. by rote ⇒ by repetition; by heart (often in the phrase learn by rote)

Etymology: 14th Century: origin unknown