roast

From Middle English rosten, a borrowing from Old French rostir (“to roast, to torture with fire”), from Frankish *rōstijan (“to roast, broil”), from Proto-Germanic *raustijaną (“to roast”), from Proto-Indo-European *rews- (“to crackle; roast”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian rosterje (“to roast”), Dutch roosten, roosteren (“to roast”), German rösten (“to roast”).

• (General American) enPR: rōst, IPA^(key): /ɹoʊst/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rōst, IPA^(key): /ɹəʊst/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -əʊst

roast (third-person singular simple present roasts, present participle roasting, simple past and past participle roasted)

1. (transitive or intransitive or ergative) To cook food by heating in an oven or over a fire without covering, resulting in a crisp, possibly even slightly charred appearance.

   to roast meat on a spit

2. To cook by surrounding with hot embers, ashes, sand, etc.

   to roast a potato in ashes

   • Francis Bacon

     In eggs boiled and roasted there is scarce difference to be discerned.

3. (transitive or intransitive or ergative) To process by drying through exposure to sun or artificial heat

   Coffee beans need roasting before use.

   to roast chestnuts or peanuts

4. To heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.
   • Shakespeare

     roasted in wrath and fire

5. (transitive, figuratively) To admonish someone vigorously

   I’m late home for the fourth time this week; my mate will really roast me this time.

6. (transitive, figuratively) To subject to bantering, severely criticize, sometimes as a comedy routine.

   The class clown enjoys being roasted by mates as well as staff.

7. (metalworking) To dissipate by heat the volatile parts of, as ores.

• (to cook): bake, boil, broil, fry, grill, poach, toast

• roasting ear
• roasting jack

roast (plural roasts)

1. A cut of meat suited to roasting
2. A meal consisting of roast foods.
3. The degree to which something, especially coffee, is roasted.

   Dark roast means that the coffee bean has been roasted to a higher temperature and for a longer period of time than in light roast.

4. A comical event, originally fraternal, where a person is subjected to verbal attack, yet may be praised by sarcasm and jokes.

• nut roast

roast (not comparable)

1. Having been cooked by roasting.

   Synonym: roasted

2. (figuratively) Subjected to roasting, bantered, severely criticized.

• roast beef

• barbecue
• chargrill
• grill
• joint
• roasties

• Astor, Astro, Roats, Sarot, Troas, artos, astro, astro-, ratos, rotas, sorta, taros, tarso-