Definition of "rune" [rune]

• Any of the characters in several alphabets used by ancient Germanic peoples from the 3rd to the 13th century. (noun)
• A similar character in another alphabet, sometimes believed to have magic powers. (noun)
• A poem or incantation of mysterious significance, especially a magic charm. (noun)
• A Finnish poem or section of a poem. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If the rune were a word, it would have been that one, but there was more meaning to it than any word she could imagine."
• "'Now I must recall the rune which came so easily, unsummoned, to my brain not many months since.'"
• "The word "rune," in Baltic Runes, indicates a magical incantation -- an apt image for such an enchanting album."