rue means A surname.
rue is pronounced /ɹuː/.
Why “rue” is a great word
A sharp, lingering sorrow for a past action, or the bitter perennial herb Ruta graveolens. From Middle English rewe, from Old English hrēow ("sorrow, regret"), from Proto-West Germanic *hreuwu ("pain, sadness, regret"), probably from Proto-Indo-European *krows- ("to push, shatter"). Unlike "regret," which can be a mild, wistful disappointment, or "repent," which implies a moral about-face, to rue is to be steeped in the specific, acrid pain of a deed that cannot be undone. It is the taste of the herb itself, pungent and lingering on the tongue; it is the empty platform after the train has gone; it is the slow, cold draught of memory in the small hours—a sorrow named for a plant, as if the feeling were a perennial thing that, once sown, forever returns.
Etymology
From Middle English rewe, reowe, from Old English hrēow (“sorrow, regret, penitence, repentance, penance”), from Proto-West Germanic *hreuwu (“pain, sadness, regret, repentance”). Cognates include German reuen (“to regret, to repent”) and Dutch rouwen (“to mourn, to grieve”).
Probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krows-. If so, note the same sense evolution with in this case cognate Russian круши́ть (krušítʹ, “to destroy, to shatter”), Russian сокруша́ться (sokrušátʹsja, “to be distressed, to grieve (for, over)”). Also compare Czech truchlit from Proto-Slavic *truxlъ.
noun
- Sorrow; repentance; regret.
- Pity; compassion.
- Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines.e.g.“But th'aged Nourse, her calling to her bowre, / Had gathered Rew, and Savine, and the flowre / Of Camphora, and Calamint, and Dill [...].”
verb
- To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.e.g.“to rue the day”
- To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.
- To cause to feel sorrow or pity.
- To feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on).e.g.“[…] till our Lord's clouds rue upon the earth, and send down a watring of rain: Truly , I think Christ's misty dew a welcome message from heaven, till my Lord's rain fall : […]”
- To feel sorrow or regret.e.g.“Old year, we'll dearly rue for you.”