roll English · revision 3500

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1200|origins=la rota}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /rəʊl/, US /roʊl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The noun is [[inh|enm|rolle|t=scroll, list]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|fro|rolle|t=document, parchment scroll]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[la-med|rotulus|t=a roll of paper]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[la|rotula|t=small wheel]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) a diminutive of [[m|la|rota|t=wheel]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The verb is from Old French roller, from [[la-vul|*rotulāre]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) Latin rota is cognate with Old Irish roth and German Rad “wheel”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) It is related to [[role]], which first meant the roll of paper on which an actor's part was written,^(Cresswell 2021) and to [[rotary]] and [[enrol]].^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A rolled-up piece of parchment or paper, a scroll: probably before 1200, in the ''Ancrene Riwle'',^(Barnhart 1988) about 1200 in Etymonline, and before 1225 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The verb, “to turn over and over”, is from about 1300.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A scroll with an official record is from 1377,^(OED 1989) and a register or list from the late 14th century, as in ''roll call'' (1779).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) A quantity of material rolled up is also from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) and a small piece of dough rolled before baking from the mid-15th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Paper money in a roll is from 1846.^(Etymonline) Of the verb, moving the eyes is from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) travelling on wheels from the 1510s,^(Etymonline) the sound of thunder from 1598^(Barnhart 1988) or the 1590s,^(Etymonline) and a drum roll from the 1680s.^(Etymonline) The noun ''roll'', “act of rolling”, is from 1743,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and a throw of dice by 1926.^(Etymonline) Australian ''roll up'', “to gather”, is from 1861,^(Etymonline) ''roll with the punches'' is a boxing metaphor from 1940,^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) and ''on a roll'', “enjoying a run of success”, is by 1976.^(Etymonline) The proverb about a rolling stone has existed in various languages since at least the 15th century.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Roller'' is from 1295, and ''roller coaster'' from 1888.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1200 – a scroll.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1300 – verb, to turn over and over.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – a list or register.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-15th century – a bread roll.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1598 – of thunder.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1743 – noun, an act of rolling.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1779 – ''roll call''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1846 – a roll of banknotes.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1976 – ''on a roll''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To move by turning over and over, or on wheels.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To wrap or form into a ball or cylinder.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To flatten with a roller: ''to roll pastry''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Of a ship, to sway from side to side.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To make a deep, prolonged sound, as of [[thunder]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To throw [[dice]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To pronounce with a [[trill]]: ''to roll one's r's''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Something rolled up into a cylinder: ''a roll of film''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A small rounded loaf of bread.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # An official list of names; a [[register]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A rolling movement, as of a ship.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A deep, prolonged sound: ''a drum roll''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[rollable]]

+ * [[roller]]

+ * [[rollout]]

+ * [[roll-on]]

+ * [[roll-your-own]]

+ * [[reroll]]

+ * [[rollaway]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[role]]

+ * [[rotary]]

+ * [[rotate]]

+ * [[enrol]]

+ * [[control]]

+ * [[roulette]]

+ * [[rodeo]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}