rose

1 of 4

past tense of rise

rose

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈrōz

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers having five petals in the wild state but being often double or partly double under cultivation

: the flower of a rose

: something resembling a rose in form: such as

a(1)

: compass card

(2)

: a circular card with radiating lines used in other instruments

: a rosette especially on a shoe

: rose cut

roses plural : an easy or pleasant situation or task

it was not all sunshine and roses

Anthony Lewis

: a moderate purplish red

: a plane curve which consists of three or more loops meeting at the origin and whose equation in polar coordinates is of the form ρ = a sin nθ or ρ = a cos nθ where n is an integer greater than zero

roselike

ˈrōz-ˌlīk

adjective

rose

3 of 4

adjective

: containing or used for roses

: of or relating to a rose

: flavored, scented, or colored with or like roses

: of the color rose

rosé

4 of 4

noun (2)

ro·sé rō-ˈzā

: a light pink table wine made from red grapes by removing the skins after fermentation has begun

Phrases

under the rose

: sub rosa

Example Sentences

Noun (1) He sent a dozen red roses to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, in part going back to Old English rōse, borrowed from Latin rosa "rose, rosebush"; in part borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin rosa, perhaps borrowed from an unattested derivative of Greek rhódon "rose" — more at rhodo-

Note: Latin rosa is similar enough to Greek rhódon that a relationship seems likely, but its nature is unclear. An outcome of rhodéā "rosebush" with a sibilant transmitted to Latin through Etruscan might explain the failure of -s- to rhotacize (unless rhotacism was nullified by the dissimilatory effect of the initial r). Both the Greek and Latin words have been attributed to a Mediterranean substratum, but this does not jibe with the presumed Iranian origin of rhódon.

Adjective

from attributive use of rose entry 2

Noun (2)

borrowed from French (short for vin rosé), from rosé "tinted with rose color, reddish, pink," from rose rose entry 2 + -é -ate entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of rose was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing rose

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rose. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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Kids Definition

rose

1 of 3

past of rise

rose

2 of 3 noun

ˈrōz

: any of a genus of usually prickly sometimes climbing shrubs that have compound leaves and showy often fragrant white, yellow, red, pink, or orange flowers

: the flower of a rose

: a medium purplish red

roselike

-ˌlīk

adjective

rose

3 of 3 adjective

: of, relating to, resembling, or used for the rose or roses

: of the color rose

Medical Definition

rose

noun

ˈrōz

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers of which some are sources of rose oil

: the flower of a rose

: erysipelas