What does runic mean?
Runic is an adjective meaning relating to runes, the characters used in an early Germanic writing system, or resembling those characters. The most common use is historical and linguistic: researchers call inscriptions made with such characters runic inscriptions, while the writing system itself is known as the runic alphabet. Runic writing was used in parts of northern Europe during the first millennium CE, preserving evidence of several early Germanic languages. The adjective can also be used more broadly for marks or designs whose appearance resembles a rune, though this secondary sense is less formal. In everyday conversation, runic is relatively uncommon and tends to evoke archaeology, museums, Viking-age Scandinavia, and inscriptions carved into stone or metal. Its specialized character distinguishes it from the everyday use of the word rune for a mysterious symbol or a poem of short lines.
adjectiveRelating to runes or the scripts in which they were written. It may also describe symbols or inscriptions that resemble runes.
- Relating to runes or the scripts in which they were written.
- Resembling or resembling the form of a rune.
"The museum displayed a collection of runic inscriptions carved into stone."
"Scholars used runic inscriptions to reconstruct the language of the period."
"The carved stone displays a pattern of runic characters around its border."
Runic inscriptions preserve some of the earliest written evidence of languages ancestral to modern German, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of runic
The adjective runic was formed from rune with the suffix -ic. The noun rune comes from Old English rūn, meaning a secret, mystery, or written sign, and is cognate with Old Norse rún, which had related meanings. The word was applied to early Germanic writing characters before the modern adjective runic developed.
How runic is actually used
This is primarily a specialist term used in linguistics, archaeology, epigraphy, and the study of early Germanic writing. The adjective is normally used attributively, as in “runic alphabet” or “runic inscription.”
Easily confused with runic
A rune is an individual written character, especially one belonging to an early Germanic alphabet, whereas runic is an adjective describing runes or the writing system that uses them.