† rounn.

Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch rūne , ruun , (rare) ruen secret counsel (only in the phrase in rūne ende in rāde (and variants) ‘with deliberation in secret’), Old Saxon rūna secret counsel, secret conversation (Middle Low German rūne , rūn , chiefly in the phrases in rūne in rāde , mid rūne und rāde ‘with deliberation in secret’), Old High German rūna secret (Middle High German rūne secret counsel, secret conversation, whisper, German regional (Switzerland) Raune a vote by way of whispering one's choice into a magistrate's ear), Old Icelandic rún secret, mystery, probably also runic character (see below; for cognates in other North Germanic languages see rune n.²), Gothic rūna secret, mystery (translating ancient Greek μυστήριον mystery n.¹), counsel, council (translating ancient Greek βουλή boule n.³ and Hellenistic Greek συμβούλιον counsel, council), and also (with prefix (see y- prefix) and different suffix causing i-mutation) Old English gerȳne (also unprefixed rȳne ) secret, mystery, Old Saxon girūni secret, mystery, Old High German girūni secret, mystery (Middle High German geriune , (central) gerūne secret conversation, whisper, German (archaic or literary) Geraune secret, mystery, secret conversation, whisper), Gothic garūni counsel, council (translating Hellenistic Greek συμβούλιον ); further etymology uncertain. The Germanic words parallel Early Irish rún , Welsh rhin ‘secret, mystery’ both formally and semantically, and it is difficult to tell whether they reflect an early borrowing < Celtic or are cognate with the Celtic nouns. If the latter, the Germanic and Celtic words may perhaps ultimately be < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin rūmor rumour n. Perhaps compare the following words in other Germanic languages which denote speech acts and which could be < an ablaut variant of the same Germanic base: Old English rēonian (also prefixed gerēonian ) to conspire, plot (perhaps originally ‘to lament’, ‘to grumble’, compare Old English rēonig mournful, sad, gloomy, rēonung whispering, muttering, conspiracy), Middle High German rienen to lament, to implore, Norwegian regional rjona to babble, chatter. Compare round v.¹ Compare also rune n.², which shows a later borrowing (in sense 2a and related senses) of the North Germanic cognates, but may also show revival of the Old English word.An alternative etymology regards the senses ‘runic letter, (secret) writing’ (see sense 2 and also rune n.²) as perhaps ultimately reflecting an etymologically distinct (homonymous) word < the same Indo-European base as roo v.¹ (with scratching or inscribing as the semantic motivation); this view is based largely on semantic grounds, proceeding from the (somewhat contentious) assumption that runic writing is unlikely to have had particular connotations of secrecy or mystery. See further R. L. Morris in Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache u. Lit. 107 (1985) 344–58. The word is largely confined to poetic use, and the precise sense intended is often uncertain. With sense 4b compare ron n. and discussion at that entry. Apparently also attested early (in sense 3) in the place name Runemede, Surrey (1215; now Runnymede), with the original meaning probably being ‘meadow at the island where councils are held’ (the first element reflecting Old English *rūn-īeg, lit. ‘deliberation island’; for an exact parallel compare Swedish Runö, the name of an island in the Gulf of Riga).