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roué

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A dissolute man, worn out by debauchery; in poetry, he represents the consequences of vice, a cautionary figure of moral decay, and the luxury that leads to ruin.

Detailed Definition
Borrowed from French, roué appears in later poetic and literary contexts to suggest jaded worldliness and moral exhaustion. In poetry, the figure often carries a darker tone than the rake, symbolising decline, regret, or the aftermath of excess. Poets used the term to evoke faded glamour, lost innocence, and the consequences of unchecked desire.
Example
Example in poetry:
The roué surveys love with tired, knowing eyes; Poets paint the roué as rake grown weary; Each vice has etched its line upon his face; The verse reads his past in silence
Additional Notes
Roué represents the aftermath of libertinism rather than its thrill. In poetry, the roué is weary, cynical, and marked by experience. The term allows poets to explore regret, ageing, and moral exhaustion. It contrasts sharply with the youthful rake, illustrating time’s effect on desire.
Also Known As
Debauchee Rake Worldling
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