rote

Etymology:

• rote (n.) c. 1300, "custom, habit," in phrase bi rote "by heart," a word of unknown origin, sometimes said to be connected with Old French rote "route" (see route (n.)), or from Latin rota "wheel" (see rotary), but OED calls both suggestions groundless. Meaning "a fixed or unchanging round," as in learning or reciting, is by 1580s. As a verb, "repeat, say from memory," 1590s.