n.1 any of the letters of the earliest Germanic alphabet used by Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons from about the 3rd c. and formed by modifying Roman or Greek characters to suit carving.
2 a similar mark of mysterious or magic significance.
3 a Finnish poem or a division of it.
Phrases and idioms:
rune-staff
1. a magic wand inscribed with runes.
2 a runic calendar.
Derivatives:
runic adj.
Etymology: ON r{uacute}n (only in pl. r{uacute}nar) magic sign, rel. to OE run