Etymologically
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roster

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹɒs.tə/ (UK); /ˈɹɔ.stɚ/, /ˈɹoʊ.stɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Dutch rooster (“table, list; originally gridiron”),[2][3][4][5] from Middle Dutch roosten, to roast,[2][3] probably from the grid of parallel lines drawn on paper to make a list.[2][3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In military use, a list showing the rotation of duty: 1727.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

NODE notes that it originally listed duties and leave for military personnel.[6] Police use is by 1858,[2] and a list of names in general, without regard to rotation, by 1881.[2][7] The verb, to place on a roster, is from 1922.[7] In marketing, the list of agencies a company regularly uses is a specialized sense.[8]

Timeline

  • 1727 – a military duty list.[3]
  • 1858 – in police use.[2]
  • 1881 – any list of names.[2]
  • 1922 – the verb.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A list or register, especially one showing the order of people's duties.
  2. A list of the names of members of a team or organization.

Verb

  1. To place on a roster.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins