Definition of ROE

roe

Plural: roe, roes

Noun

  • The mass of eggs contained within the ovaries of a female fish.
  • fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
  • eggs of female fish
  • the egg mass or spawn of certain crustaceans such as the lobster
  • the eggs or egg-laden ovary of a fish
  • The eggs of fish.
  • The sperm of certain fish.
  • The ovaries of certain crustaceans.
  • Ellipsis of roe deer.
  • A mottled appearance of light and shade in wood, especially in mahogany.

Examples

  • A quick ’ROE’ play helped him clear his rack for a higher-scoring word.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English rowe, rowne, roun, rawne, from Old English *hrogn (“spawn, fish eggs, roe”), from Proto-Germanic *hrugnaz, *hrugną (“spawn, roe”), from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“(frog) spawn”).
Cognate with Dutch roge (“roe”), German Low German Rögen (“roe”), German Rogen (“roe”), Danish rogn, ravn (“roe”), Swedish rom (“roe”), Icelandic hrogn (“roe”), Lithuanian kurkulai̇̃ (“frog spawn”), Russian кряк (krjak, “frog spawn”).

Synonyms

hard roe, milt

Scrabble Score: 3

roe: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
roe: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
roe: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 3

roe: valid Words With Friends Word