Rook
/ruːk/noun
A black European crow, or a chess piece that moves in straight lines.
Did you know?The bird name and the chess piece are unrelated etymologically: the bird comes from Old English hrōc, while the chess piece entered English from French rouc/roc, ultimately from Persian rukh, a powerful war-chariot or mythical figure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hrōkaz
“A croaking bird, likely a rook or similar crow-like bird”
Old English
English
hrōc
“A rook, a crow-like bird”
Old French
Old French
roc / rouc
“The chess piece later called the rook”
Persian
Persian
رخ (rukh)
“A war-chariot or mythical bird/figure in chess tradition”
Modern English
English
rook
“A black crow and, separately, a chess piece that moves in straight lines”