roller English · revision 10616

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=late 13th century|origins=en roll}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈrəʊ.lə/, US /ˈroʊ.lɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an agent noun from the verb [[roll]] and [[-er]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A thing that rolls, a roller for moving heavy objects: the late 13th century.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A rolling pin is from the late 14th century in Etymonline, about 1420 in the OED,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) a cylinder revolving on an axis from 1434,^(OED 1989) and a heavy cylinder for smoothing the ground from the 1520s.^(Etymonline) A printer's inking roller is by 1790, a hair curler from 1795,^(Etymonline) a long heavy swelling wave by 1829,^(Etymonline) and a paint roller by 1955.^(Etymonline) In compounds it often means done on roller skates, as ''roller hockey'' (1926), ''roller derby'' (by 1936) and ''roller disco'' (1978).^(Etymonline) ''Holy roller'', a disparaging name for an emotional worshipper, is from 1842 in American English.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 13th century – a thing that rolls.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1434 – a revolving cylinder.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1520s – a garden roller.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1795 – a hair curler.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1829 – a long wave.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1955 – a paint roller.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[cylinder]] that rotates, used for moving, flattening, spreading or crushing things.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A cylinder with a handle for spreading [[paint]].^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+ # A small cylinder round which hair is wound to curl it.^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+ # A long, heavy [[wave]] of the sea.^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[roller-coaster]]

+ * [[roller-skate]]

+ * [[rollerblade]]

+ * [[steamroller]]

+ * [[stoneroller]]

+ * [[leaf roller]]

+ * [[roller chain]]

+ * [[roller derby]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[roll]]

+ * [[rotate]]

+ * [[rotund]]

+

+ ==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,^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) perhaps so called from its cry^(Hoad 1986) or from its habit of rolling in flight.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}