Rote Meaning
/ɹəʊt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounMechanical routine; a fixed, habitual, repetitive, or mechanical course of procedure.
adjBy repetition or practice and without much thought.
Sentence Examples
You'll have to learn all these dates by rote.
Egyptian schools teach rote learning.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student learned the multiplication tables through ____ memorization without understanding.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Students memorized the multiplication tables by ____, repeating them until automatic.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English rote (“custom, habit, wont, condition, state”), further origin unknown. Found in the Middle English phrase bi rote (“by heart, according to form, expertly”), c. 1300. Some have proposed a relationship either with Old French rote/rute (“route”), or Latin rota (“wheel”) (see rotary), but the OED calls both suggestions groundless. Another explanation might be the metaphorical comparison between anything repetitive and playing the rote.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The former may be seen as a more rote form of learning, contrasting with the latter which appears to include "executive" aspects"
— 2000, Ami Klin with Fred R. Volkmar and Sara S. Sparrow, Asperger syndrome, page 316:
"extracting mistuned dirges from their harps, crowds, and rotes"
— 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student learned the multiplication tables through ____ memorization without understanding.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Students memorized the multiplication tables by ____, repeating them until automatic.