runish

adj — 3 senses

runish

adj

Etymology From Middle English runish, runisch, from Old English *rūnisc, *rȳnisc, rēnisc (“mysterious, mystic”), equivalent to rune + -ish.

1

Of or relating to runes, runic inscription, or runic language; runic.

  • Hundreds of these Golden Ornaments — Rank-decorations, Family Medals, Gift- pieces, Amulets, or whatever else they may have been — have no letters at all, either runish or otherwise.1884, George Stephens, Handbook of the old-northern runic monument of Scandinavia and England:
  • Susan's impatient monosyllable startled Jori, slung in the halter on her chest, but he promptly went back to sleep after blowing a couple of bubbles. 'It's in Runish, the old language.2005, Tango Wayne, Scandinal:
2

Mysterious; strange.

  • Baltazar is stunned with fear as he watches the floating hand carve mysterious "runisch sauez" (runish writings) (1544-45) in the wall.2003, Ann R. Meyer, Medieval Allegory and the Building of the New Jerusalem:
  • It's such cross-purpose my heart craves, These guests on old Twelfth Night, Their runish, unreadable moil Of prints, the barrowed creche Awaiting thaw.2011, Marly Youmans, The Throne of Psyche:

runish

adj

Etymology From Middle English runisch, a variant (by confusion) of renisch. Also rennish.

1

Rough, violent.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.