Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - rune

 noun  Etymology: Old Norse & Old English run mystery, runic character, writing; akin to Old High German runa secret discussion, Old Irish run mystery  Date: 1690  1. any of the characters of any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3d to the 13th centuries  2. mystery, magic  3. Finnish runo, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse run  a. a Finnish or Old Norse poem  b. poem, song  • runic adjective