Talk:rote

A semihomonyn is a word that is a less than perfect homonyn, but has some overlap in meaning.

For example, Rote, Rut and Route.

A Rut might be a Route leaned by Rote.

The words Rut, Route and Rote seem to share a common Root.

The words Rut, Route, Rote and Root seem to share a common Root.

User:TableTop 28 June 2005 06:29 (UTC)

English sense to add
To add: "barbarian" string instrument. 24.29.228.33 04:15, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

RFD discussion: March 2019–April 2020
Sense: "The process of learning or committing something to memory through mechanical repetition, usually by hearing and repeating aloud, often without full attention to comprehension or thought for the meaning."

But one can also perform, speak, play by rote.

Aren't both the learning and the performing covered by the other definition: "Mechanical routine; a fixed, habitual, repetitive, or mechanical course of procedure."? Usage examples seem better for conveying the collocations with the verbs learn, play, perform, speak.

What gives me pause is the abundant attestation for what seems to me is a pleonasm: rote repetition. DCDuring (talk) 17:32, 10 March 2019 (UTC)


 * It seems to me that fundamentally there is only one meaning, and that the current first sense is a special case of the second "mechanical routine" sense. I wouldn't remove the information about committing to memory completely, though, as it is probably the most common use, but I would be inclined to present it as an "especially" sub-case of the general sense. Mihia (talk) 21:05, 10 March 2019 (UTC)
 * By the way, we may also want to look at whether the purported adjective sense of "rote" is a true adjective. Mihia (talk) 21:18, 10 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Most dictionaries give the word in this sense only as a noun, but M-W sees it also as an adjective. A phrase like “her knowledge was not rote” strikes me as weird but is found e.g. here. --Lambiam 09:27, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * The OED has it as an adjective:- "Occurring in a mechanical and repetitious manner; routine." with a few examples given. SemperBlotto (talk) 09:31, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Merged. - TheDaveRoss  13:46, 17 April 2020 (UTC)