Etymologically
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roller

Etymology and origin of the English word roller

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
late 13th century
Ultimate origin
English (roll)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈrəʊ.lə/, US /ˈroʊ.lɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is an agent noun from the verb roll and -er.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A thing that rolls, a roller for moving heavy objects: the late 13th century.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

A rolling pin is from the late 14th century in Etymonline, about 1420 in the OED,[2][4] a cylinder revolving on an axis from 1434,[4] and a heavy cylinder for smoothing the ground from the 1520s.[2] A printer's inking roller is by 1790, a hair curler from 1795,[2] a long heavy swelling wave by 1829,[2] and a paint roller by 1955.[2] In compounds it often means done on roller skates, as roller hockey (1926), roller derby (by 1936) and roller disco (1978).[2] Holy roller, a disparaging name for an emotional worshipper, is from 1842 in American English.[2]

Timeline

  • late 13th century – a thing that rolls.[2]
  • 1434 – a revolving cylinder.[4]
  • 1520s – a garden roller.[2]
  • 1795 – a hair curler.[2]
  • 1829 – a long wave.[2]
  • 1955 – a paint roller.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A cylinder that rotates, used for moving, flattening, spreading or crushing things.
  2. A cylinder with a handle for spreading paint.
  3. A small cylinder round which hair is wound to curl it.
  4. A long, heavy wave of the sea.

Word family

  • roller-coaster
  • roller-skate
  • rollerblade
  • steamroller
  • stoneroller
  • leaf roller
  • roller chain
  • roller derby

Usage notes

The roller, a brightly coloured bird of the family Coraciidae, has a different origin: it is from German Roller, from rollen, to roll,[5][3] perhaps so called from its cry[5] or from its habit of rolling in flight.[6]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Roller.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/roller. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·