rostrum

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹɒstɹəm/ (UK); /ˈɹɑstɹəm/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin rostrum (“beak, snout; ship's prow”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} originally “means of gnawing”, from rōdere “to gnaw”.^[3][4][5][6] It is related to rodent.^[4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the plural, the platform for speakers in the Forum of ancient Rome (1542).^[3][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The Roman platform was decorated with the beaks of ships captured in the first naval victory of the Republic, over Antium in 338 BCE.^[3][4] From 1766 the word meant any platform for public speaking,^[3][4][7] and later a pulpit (1771).^[7] In biology it names a beaklike or snoutlike part.^[2][5][6][1] The plural is rostra or rostrums.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 1542 – the speakers' platform in the Roman Forum.^[3][7]
• 1766 – any platform for public speaking.^[3][7]
• 1771 – a pulpit.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A raised platform for public speaking; a dais or podium.
2. The beaklike prow of an ancient warship, used for ramming.
3. The speakers' platform in the ancient Roman forum.
4. A beaklike or snoutlike projection, as in insects.

Word family

• rostral
• rostrate

Related words

• rodent

Usage notes

Random House lists stand, dais, podium and lectern as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press