# رخ
## Arabic
### Etymology 1.1
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /rax.xa/

#### Verb

رَخَّ • (raḵḵa) I (non-past يَرُخُّ (yaruḵḵu), verbal noun رَخّ (raḵḵ))
* to dilute, to mix with water
* to break or crush so as to make soft

##### Conjugation
### Etymology 1.2
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /raxx/

#### Noun

رَخّ • (raḵḵ) m (collective, singulative رَخَّة f (raḵḵa))
* light shower

##### Declension
### Etymology 1.3
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /raxx/

#### Noun

رَخّ • (raḵḵ) m
* verbal noun of رَخَّ (raḵḵa) (form I)

##### Declension
#### Adjective

رَخّ • (raḵḵ)
* soft, relaxed, irresolute

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

From Classical Persian رُخ (rux).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ruxx/

#### Noun

رُخّ • (ruḵḵ) m (plural رِخَاخ (riḵāḵ) or رِخَخَة (riḵaḵa))
* (chess) castle, rook

##### Synonyms

* طَابِيَة (ṭābiya, “fortress, castle”)
* قلعَة

##### Descendants

* → Catalan: roc
* → Spanish: roque
* → Old French: roc
** Middle French: roc
*** French: roc
** → Middle English: rook
*** English: rook
**** → Japanese: ルーク (rūku)
**** → Korean: 룩 (ruk)

### Etymology 3

From Classical Persian رُخ (rux).

#### Noun

رُخّ • (ruḵḵ) m
* (mythology) roc (mythical bird)

##### Descendants

* → Catalan: roc
* → Spanish: rocho, ruc
** → English: roc

### See also

Chess pieces in Arabic · (layout · text) :
| شَاه (šāh) | وَزِير (wazīr) | رُخّ (ruḵḵ) – قَلْعَة (qalʕa) | فِيل (fīl) | حِصَان (ḥiṣān) | بَيْدَق (baydaq) – جُنْدِيّ (jundiyy) |
* Wehr, Hans (1979) “رخ”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN, page 384
* Lane, Edward William (1863) “رخ”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎, London: Williams & Norgate, page 1058
* Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “رخ”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎, London: W.H. Allen, page 407

## Persian
### Etymology 1

Cognate with Yagnobi рах (rax).

#### Pronunciation

* (Classical Persian) IPA: [ɾux]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [rʊx]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [rʊx]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [rʊx]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [rux]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [ɹox]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [ɾuχ]

#### Noun

رُخ • (rox)
* face, cheek
* countenance
** c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 3724:آن خدو زد بر رخی که روی ماه سجده آرد پیش او در سجده‌‌گاهān xadū zad bar rux-ē ki rōy-i māh sajda ārd piš-i ō dar sajda-gāhHe spat on the countenance before which the face of the moon bows low in the place of worship.

### Etymology 2

From Middle Persian lhw' (rox, “rook, castle (chess)”). Possibly cognate with Sanskrit रथ (ratha, “chariot”).

#### Noun

رُخ • (rox)
* (chess) rook

##### Descendants

* → Arabic: رُخّ (ruḵḵ)
** → Catalan: roc
** → Spanish: roque
** → Old French: roc
*** Middle French: roc
**** French: roc
*** → Middle English: rook
**** English: rook
***** → Japanese: ルーク (rūku)
***** → Korean: 룩 (ruk)
* → Georgian: როქი (roki)
* → Italian: rocco
* → Ottoman Turkish: رخ
* → Urdu: رخ (rux)

##### See also

Chess pieces in Persian · مهره‌های شطرنج (mohre-hâye šatranj) (layout · text) :
| شاه (šâh) | وزیر (vazir), فرزین (farzin) | رخ (rox), قلعه (qal'e) | فیل (fil) | اسب (asb) | پیاده (piyâde), سرباز (sarbâz) |

### References

* Hastings (1855): British Miscellany and Chess Player's Chronicle, Volume 16, p. 44
* Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “رخ”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim

## Urdu
### Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian رخ (rux).

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Urdu) IPA: /ɾʊx/

### Noun

رُخ • (rux) m (Hindi spelling रुख़)
* face, cheek
    Synonyms: چہرہ (cehrā), گال (gāl), منہ (mũh)
* appearance, countenance
    Synonyms: صورت (sūrat), شکل (śakl)
    رخ بدلنا ― rux badalnā ― to change countenance; to become angry or displeased
* direction, attention
    Synonyms: سمت (samt), دھیان (dhyān)
    رخ بدلناrux badalnāto turn away; to change the direction of one's face; to reject; to be inattentive
* (chess) rook

#### See also

Chess pieces in Urdu · مہرے کے شطرنج (śatranj ke muhre) (layout · text) :
| بَادْشَاہ (bādśāh) | وَزِیر (vazīr) | رُخ (rux) | فِیلَہ (fīla) | گھوڑا (ghoṛā) | پِیَادَہ (piyāda) |

### References

* “رخ”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
* “رخ”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.