roost

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -uːst

Etymology 1

From Middle English roste (“chicken's roost; perch”), from Old English hrōst (“wooden framework of a roof; roost”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōstaz (“wooden framework; grill”). Cognate with Dutch roest (“roost”), German Low German Rust (“roost”), German Rost (“grate; gridiron; grill”).

Noun

roost (plural roosts)

1. The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch).
   • Dryden

     He clapped his wings upon his roost.

2. A group of birds roosting together.

Derived terms

• rule the roost

Translations

place for sleeping birds

• Czech: kurník (cs) m
• Finnish: nukkumapaikka
• Italian: pollaio m
• Japanese: 塒 (ja) (ねぐら, negura)
• Latvian: lakta (lv) f

• Polish: grzęda (pl)
• Russian: насе́ст (ru) m (nasést)
• Scottish Gaelic: (branch or rod) spiris f
• Serbo-Croatian: кокошињац m, kokošinjac (sh) m
• Spanish: gallinero m, pajarera (es) f

Verb

roost (third-person singular simple present roosts, present participle roosting, simple past and past participle roosted)

1. (of birds) sleep.

Translations

of birds: to sleep

• Finnish: nukkua (fi)
• German: auf einem Ast schlafen, auf einer Stange schlafen
• Italian: appollaiarsi (it)

• Japanese: 就塒する (しゅうじする, shūji suru)
• Turkish: tünemek (tr)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse rōst

Noun

roost (plural roosts)

1. (Shetland and Orkney) A tidal race.

Etymology 3

Verb

roost (third-person singular simple present roosts, present participle roosting, simple past and past participle roosted)

1. Alternative form of roust

Anagrams

• Sorto, Toors, ostro, roots, stoor, toros, torso

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Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish rúsc, from Proto-Celtic *ruskos (compare Welsh rhisgl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ruːs/

Noun

1. peel, rind
2. bark

Verb

roost (verbal noun roostey)

1. to strip, peel, hull, rind, unbark
2. to rob
3. to bare
4. to debunk
5. to rifle
6. to deprive