Rue vs. Street — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on March 27, 2024
Rue is a term often associated with narrower, historic roads, especially in French-speaking areas, while a street is a broad term for roads in urban areas.
Difference Between Rue and Street
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Rue, originating from French, often implies a narrower, sometimes older pathway with a quaint or historic significance, often found in European or Francophone regions. Streets, on the other hand, are wide roads in urban settings, typically accommodating both vehicles and pedestrians. They serve as main thoroughfares in cities and towns.
While rues may conjure images of picturesque lanes flanked by old buildings or cobblestone paths, streets are recognized for their functional role in city planning, connecting various urban points and facilitating transportation. Rues often have a cultural or historical context, adding to the charm and character of the areas they are in. Streets, however, are more generic and can vary widely in appearance and function, from bustling commercial hubs to quiet residential areas.
Rues are sometimes celebrated for their aesthetic appeal and as destinations for tourists seeking the ambiance of a bygone era. In contrast, streets are essential for urban mobility, often lined with shops, institutions, and residences. The term "rue" can also evoke a sense of nostalgia or romanticism, whereas "street" is a more neutral term, emphasizing utility over sentiment.
In literature and popular culture, rues are frequently depicted as intimate settings for narratives, offering a backdrop that suggests intimacy and tradition. Streets, by contrast, might be portrayed as scenes of broader societal interactions, reflecting the hustle and bustle of daily life. The distinction between rues and streets highlights not just physical differences but also the varied roles they play in urban landscapes and imaginations.
Comparison Chart
Origin
French, implying a narrow or historic path
Generic English term for roads in urban areas
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Characteristic
Often narrower, with historic or aesthetic appeal
Broad and functional, accommodating traffic
Context
Cultural, historic significance
Urban planning, transportation
Appeal
Picturesque, quaint
Utilitarian, varies from residential to commercial
Perception
Romanticized, nostalgic
Neutral, essential for urban mobility
Compare with Definitions
Rue
A narrow road or path, especially one with historical or aesthetic significance.
The artist's studio was hidden away on a quiet rue in Paris.
Street
A public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides.
Their new apartment was on a busy street, full of life and noise.
Rue
Often found in older, historic parts of cities.
The ancient rues of the city were lined with buildings dating back centuries.
Street
Designed to accommodate vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
The wide street was lined with shops and restaurants, bustling with activity.
Rue
Predominantly used in French-speaking areas or places with historical French influence.
The Rue Saint-Antoine is known for its vibrant history and culture.
Street
Facilitates urban connectivity and access.
Main Street connects the town's north and south ends, acting as a vital artery.
Rue
Carries a sense of nostalgia and romance.
Walking down the rue, they felt transported to a bygone era.
Street
Universal in urban and suburban areas.
The project aims to revitalize the downtown streets to attract more visitors.
Rue
Symbolizes intimacy, tradition, or historical depth.
The novel's climax unfolds on a dimly lit rue, adding to the scene's intensity.
Street
Often a setting for broader societal themes.
The story captures the essence of urban life, with its streets teeming with diverse characters.
Rue
To feel regret, remorse, or sorrow for
“I never rued a day in my life like the one I rued when I left that old mother of mine” (Flannery O'Connor).
Street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about.
Rue
To feel regret, remorse, or sorrow.
Street
A public road in a city, town, or village, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides
45 Lake Street
The narrow, winding streets of Edinburgh
Rue
Sorrow; regret
“I ... won her from various rivals, who ... went away, one may say, full of rue” (Brian Doyle).
Street
Relating to the outlook, values, or lifestyle of those young people who are perceived as composing a fashionable urban subculture
London street style
Rue
Any of various aromatic woody herbs or shrubs of the genus Ruta of the Mediterranean region and western Asia, especially the ornamental R. graveolens, having bipinnately compound leaves that yield an acrid volatile oil formerly used in medicine.
Street
Abbr. St. A public way or thoroughfare in a city or town, usually with a sidewalk or sidewalks.
Rue
Any of various other plants having similar foliage, such as meadow rue.
Street
Such a public way considered apart from the sidewalks
Don't play in the street.
Rue
Sorrow; repentance; regret.
Street
A public way or road along with the houses or buildings abutting it
Lives on a quiet street.
Rue
Pity; compassion.
Street
The people living, working, or habitually gathering in or along a street
The whole street protested the new parking regulations.
Rue
Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines.
Street
Street A district, such as Wall Street in New York City, that is identified with a specific profession. Often used with the.
Rue
To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action.
Street
The streets of a city viewed as the scene of crime, poverty, or dereliction.
Rue
To cause to feel sorrow or pity.
Street
The common public viewed as a repository of public attitudes and understanding.
Rue
(transitive) To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place.
I rued the day I crossed paths with her.
Street
Near or giving passage to a street
A street door.
Rue
To feel compassion or pity.
Street
Taking place in the street
A street brawl.
Street crime.
Rue
To feel sorrow or regret.
Street
Living or making a living on the streets
Street people.
A street vendor.
Rue
A perennial suffrutescent plant (Ruta graveolens), having a strong, heavy odor and a bitter taste; herb of grace. It is used in medicine.
Then purged with euphrasy and rueThe visual nerve, for he had much to see.
They [the exorcists] are to try the devil by holy water, incense, sulphur, rue, which from thence, as we suppose, came to be called herb of grace.
Street
Performing on the street
Street musicians.
A street juggler.
Rue
Fig.: Bitterness; disappointment; grief; regret.
Street
Crude; vulgar
Street language.
Street humor.
Rue
Sorrow; repetance.
Street
Appropriate for wear or use in public
Street clothes.
Rue
To lament; to regret extremely; to grieve for or over.
I wept to see, and rued it from my heart.
Thy willChose freely what it now so justly rues.
Street
A paved part of road, usually in a village or a town.
Walk down the street until you see a hotel on the right.
Rue
To cause to grieve; to afflict.
Street
A road as above, but including the sidewalks (pavements) and buildings.
I live on the street down from Joyce Avenue.
Rue
To repent of, and withdraw from, as a bargain; to get released from.
Street
The roads that run perpendicular to avenues in a grid layout.
Rue
To have compassion.
God so wisly [i. e., truly] on my soul rue.
Which stirred men's hearts to rue upon them.
Street
The people who live in such a road, as a neighborhood.
Rue
To feel sorrow and regret; to repent.
Work by counsel and thou shalt not rue.
Old year, we'll dearly rue for you.
Street
The people who spend a great deal of time on the street in urban areas, especially, the young, the poor, the unemployed, and those engaged in illegal activities.
Rue
European strong-scented perennial herb with gray-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
Street
An illicit or contraband source, especially of drugs.
I got some pot cheap on the street.
The seized drugs had a street value of $5 million.
Rue
Leaves sometimes used for flavoring fruit or claret cup but should be used with great caution: can cause irritation like poison ivy
Street
(finance) Wall Street.
Rue
Sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment;
He drank to drown his sorrows
He wrote a note expressing his regret
To his rue, the error cost him the game
Street
(attributive) Living in the streets.
A street cat; a street urchin
Rue
(French) a street or road in France
Street
Streetwise slang.
Rue
Feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
Street
(figuratively) A great distance.
He's streets ahead of his sister in all the subjects in school.
Street
(poker slang) Each of the three opportunities that players have to bet, after the flop, turn and river.
Street
A style of skateboarding featuring typically urban obstacles.
Street
(slang) Having street cred; conforming to modern urban trends.
Street
To build or equip with streets.
Street
To eject; to throw onto the streets.
Street
To heavily defeat.
Street
To go on sale.
Street
To proselytize in public.
Street
Originally, a paved way or road; a public highway; now commonly, a thoroughfare in a city or village, bordered by dwellings or business houses.
He removed [the body of] Amasa from the street unto the field.
At home or through the high street passing.
His deserted mansion in Duke Street.
Street
The roadway of a street{1}, as distinguished from the sidewalk; as, children playing in the street.
Street
The inhabitants of a particular street; as, the whole street knew about their impending divorce.
Street
A thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings;
They walked the streets of the small town
He lives on Nassau Street
Street
The part of a thoroughfare between the sidewalks; the part of the thoroughfare on which vehicles travel;
Be careful crossing the street
Street
The streets of a city viewed as a depressed environment in which there is poverty and crime and prostitution and dereliction;
She tried to keep her children off the street
Street
A situation offering opportunities;
He worked both sides of the street
Cooperation is a two-way street
Street
People living or working on the same street;
The whole street protested the absence of street lights
Common Curiosities
Is the term "rue" used only in France?
While "rue" is French for street, its English usage often connotes a road with quaint or historic appeal, not limited to France.
What defines a street?
A street is a public road in an urban area, broad enough for vehicles and pedestrians, often lined with buildings and homes.
Can a rue become a street or vice versa?
The classification depends more on perception and tradition than on physical changes, though redevelopment can alter a road's character.
Is the maintenance of rues different from that of streets?
Maintenance can vary, with historic rues sometimes requiring special care to preserve their character and appearance.
Are all rues pedestrian-only?
Not all rues are pedestrian-only; some allow vehicle traffic, though they may be narrower than typical streets.
How do streets contribute to urban planning?
Streets are essential for urban mobility, connectivity, and access, playing a key role in city planning and infrastructure.
What is the difference in usage between "rue" and "street" in literature?
"Rue" is often used to evoke intimacy, tradition, or nostalgia, while "street" can symbolize broader societal themes or urban life.
What is a rue?
A rue is a narrow, often historic or picturesque road, typically found in French-speaking regions or places with historical French influence.
How do people typically navigate through rues and streets?
Navigation can depend on the area; rues might be more walkable and intimate, while streets are often designed for vehicular traffic.
Can a street also have historical significance?
Yes, many streets have historical significance, though "rue" specifically evokes a sense of historical or aesthetic charm.
Do rues have commercial activities like streets?
Some rues may host shops, cafes, and boutiques, especially in tourist areas, though they're often more noted for their aesthetic than commercial utility.
How do rues and streets affect urban aesthetics?
Rues add charm and character to urban landscapes, while streets, depending on their design, can enhance or detract from a city's aesthetic appeal.
Can the layout of streets and rues impact traffic flow?
Yes, the design and width of streets and rues significantly influence traffic patterns and pedestrian accessibility.
Are there cities known for their rues?
Yes, cities like Paris and Quebec City are renowned for their picturesque rues, attracting tourists worldwide.
What role do rues and streets play in community life?
They are vital public spaces, facilitating social interaction, economic activity, and cultural expression in urban environments.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
