• Roast

    Pronunciation

    • GenAm enPR: rōst, IPA: /ɹoÊŠst/
    • RP enPR: rōst, IPA: /ɹəʊst/
    • Rhymes: -əʊst

    Origin

    From Middle English rosten, from Old French rostir ("to roast") (Modern French: rôtir), from Frankish *rōstjan ("to roast"), from Proto-Germanic *raustijaną ("to roast"), from Proto-Indo-European *reus- ("to crackle, roast"). Cognate with Dutch roosteren ("to roast"), German rösten ("to roast").

    Full definition of roast

    Verb

    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 BaconIn 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 heatCoffee beans need roasting before use.to roast chestnuts or peanuts
    4. To heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.
      • Shakespeareroasted in wrath and fire
    5. (transitive, figuratively) To admonish someone vigorouslyI’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.

    Coordinate terms

    Noun

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

    Derived terms

    Adjective

    roast

    1. having been cooked by roasting
    2. (figuratively) subjected to roasting, bantered, severely criticized
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