roué definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

rou·é [ roo áy ] (plural rou·és)

noun

Definition:

debauched man: a man who regularly engages in drinking, gambling, and womanizing ( literary )

[Early 19th century. < French< past participle of rouer "break on the wheel" (a medieval instrument of torture) < Latin rotare (see rotate)]

Word History


	The term roué is thought to stem from Philip, duke of Orléans and regent of France (1715-1723), who humorously designated his debauched companions as roués, either to suggest that they deserved to be broken upon the wheel or because their behavior was so exhausting that they felt they had undergone this torture. See also rota.