English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

roman

adj

Relating to the city of Rome or the ancient Roman Empire.

romance

noun

A loving relationship between two people, especially a passionate one.

romancing

noun

The act of pursuing someone romantically, or of turning something into an idealized, romantic version of itself.

romani

noun

A member of the Roma, a nomadic people originating in modern-day Pakistan or Northwest India and traditionally having an itinerant way of life, living widely dispersed across Europe and speaking a language that is related to Hindi.

Romania

name

A country in southeastern Europe, with Bucharest as its capital.

Romanian

adj

Relating to Romania, its people, or its language.

romanisation

noun

An alternative letter-case form of Romanisation: non-Oxford British English standard spelling of Romanization.

romano

noun

A hard, sharply flavored Italian cheese, usually grated over pasta or salads.

Romans

name

A book of the New Testament, being the apostle Paul's letter to the early Christian community in Rome.

romantic

adj

Full of feelings of love, especially idealized or passionate love; evoking that mood.

romantically

adv

In a way that shows or expresses romantic love or idealized emotion.

romanticism

noun

A quality of idealized emotion, imagination, or nostalgia in a person, idea, or artwork.

romanticist

noun

A supporter or follower of the ideas of romanticism.

romanticistic

adj

Connected with romanticism as an artistic or literary movement.

romanticized

adj

Presented as more perfect, exciting or attractive than it really was.

Rome

name

The capital city of Italy, historically the capital of the ancient Roman Empire, and by extension a name for that empire or the Catholic Church.

Romeo

noun

A passionate, devoted boyfriend or lover.

romero

noun

The pilot fish, a slender fish known for swimming alongside sharks and other large sea creatures.

Romi

name

A feminine given name of Hebrew origin.

Rommel

name

A surname of Dutch origin, notably borne by German field marshal Erwin Rommel.

Romney

noun

A breed of sheep, originally from the Romney Marsh in Kent, England, valued for its long wool and hardiness.

romp

verb

To play or move about in a lively, energetic, boisterous way.

Romulan

noun

(fiction, informal) In the Star Trek universe, a member of a cunning, militaristic alien species from the planet Romulus.

Romulus

name

The legendary founder and first king of Rome, twin brother of Remus.

Ron

noun

A short form of the male given name Ronald.

rona

noun

Slang for COVID-19 or the coronavirus.

Ronald

name

A male given name of Germanic origin.

Ronan

name

A male given name of Irish origin.

Ronda

name

A feminine given name, and a town in the province of Málaga, Spain.

rondeau

noun

A fixed form of verse based on two rhyme sounds and consisting usually of 13 lines in three stanzas with the opening words of the first line of the first stanza used as an independent refrain after the second and third stanzas.

rondo

noun

A musical piece, often lively, in which a main theme keeps returning between contrasting sections.

Rong

name

A place name in Guangxi, China, and occasionally a Chinese given name.

ronin

noun

A samurai in feudal Japan who had no lord or master, often forced to survive independently.

Ronnie

noun

A casual short form of the given names Ronald or Veronica.

Ronny

name

A diminutive of the masculine given name Ronald.

ronson

noun

(military slang, historical) A nickname for the M4 Sherman tank, referencing its tendency to catch fire when hit.

roo

noun

Peace, stillness, or quiet rest (archaic or dialectal).

rood

noun

A cross, often bearing a figure of Christ, especially one set up inside a church.

roof

noun

The structure covering the top of a building or vehicle.

roofie

noun

Slang for Rohypnol or a similar sedative used to incapacitate someone without their knowledge, typically for assault.

roofied

adj

Having been secretly drugged, typically with a sedative slipped into a drink.

roofing

noun

The materials used to cover a roof, such as tiles, shingles, or metal sheeting.

rooftop

noun

The outer surface or top of a roof, especially as a place people can stand or gather.

rook

noun

A large black European bird related to the crow, known for nesting in noisy colonies.

rooker

noun

A person who cheats or swindles others, especially in a card game or bet.

rookie

noun

Someone new to a job, sport, or team; a first-year professional or a novice.

Rooks

name

An English surname.

room

noun

A separate enclosed space within a building, with its own walls, floor, and ceiling.

room and board

noun

A place to sleep and meals provided together, usually as part of a fee or as payment for work.

roomer

noun

Someone who pays to live in a room they rent.

roomful

noun

As much or as many as a room can hold, especially referring to a large group of people.

roomie

noun

An informal short form of "roommate."

roomlet

noun

A small room, or a space that is like one.

roommate

noun

A person who shares a room, apartment, or house with someone else, without necessarily being related or a romantic partner.

roomy

adj

Having plenty of space; spacious.

Rooney

name

A surname of Irish origin, notably borne by footballer Wayne Rooney.

roop

verb

(dialect) To shout or cry out loudly.

Roos

name

A surname, and a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Roosevelt

name

An American surname of Dutch origin, borne by the family that produced U.S. presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

roost

noun

The perch or spot where a bird settles to sleep, often a branch or a bar inside a coop.

rooster

noun

An adult male chicken.

root

noun

The underground part of a plant that anchors it and draws in water and nutrients.

rootable

adj

Able to be rooted.

rootage

noun

The way a plant grows and develops its roots.

rooted

adj

Firmly established or fixed in place, whether literally or figuratively.

rooter

noun

A person or thing that roots, digging something up by its roots.

rooting

noun

The process of a plant or cutting growing roots.

rooting for you

phrase

Said to tell someone that you support them and genuinely want them to succeed.

rootle

verb

To burrow in the earth using the snout.

roots

noun

A person's family background, heritage, or place of origin.

rope

noun

A thick, strong cord made by twisting together fibers, strands, or wires.

Roper

noun

Someone who makes ropes, or (especially in rodeo and ranching) someone skilled at roping cattle or horses.

Ropes

name

An English surname.

ropeway

noun

A means of moving goods using containers hung from cables strung between tall supports.

roping

noun

The activity or skill of catching or tying up an animal (typically a calf or steer) by throwing a lasso around it.

ropy

adj

Looking or feeling like rope, especially describing muscles that are firm and stringy.

roque

noun

A hard-surface variant of croquet played with short-handled mallets.

Rorschach

noun

Short for the Rorschach test, a psychological assessment in which people describe what they see in a series of inkblots.

rorty

adj

(informal) Loud, lively and a little rude or improper.

Rory

adjective

Damp with dew.

Ros

name

A diminutive of the feminine given names Rosalind or Rosamund.

Rosa

name

A feminine given name meaning "rose" in Latin and several Romance languages.

rosacea

noun

A long-term skin condition affecting mainly the face, in which the central areas become persistently flushed or red, often with visible small blood vessels and, in some people, bumps and pustules. It typically comes and goes in flare-ups and most often appears in adulthood.

Rosalee

name

A feminine given name, a respelling of Rosalie.

Rosales

name

A surname of Spanish origin, and a municipality in Pangasinan, Philippines.

Rosalia

noun

In music, a melodic pattern that repeats a short phrase at a progressively higher (or lower) pitch each time.

Rosalie

name

A feminine given name meaning "rose", from French and ultimately Latin.

Rosalind

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, later reinterpreted through folk etymology to mean "lovely rose".

Rosaline

name

A female first name of Latin origin.

rosamond

name

A female forename of Germanic origin, a variant of Rosamund.

Rosamund

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, later reinterpreted to mean "pure rose" or "rose of the world".

rosamunda

name

A female forename, a variant of Rosamund.

Rosanna

name

A feminine given name, a blend of Rose and Anna.

Rosario

name

A surname and given name of Spanish origin meaning "rosary", and a major city in Argentina.

rosary

noun

A string of beads used, especially by Catholics, to count prayers as they are recited.

roscoe

noun

Slang for a handgun, especially a revolver.

rose

noun

A shrub or climbing plant, or its flower, prized for its fragrance and often thorny stems.

Roseanna

name

A feminine given name formed as a blend of Rose and Anna.

Roseanne

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Rosanne combining Rose and Anne.

rosebud

noun

The unopened flower bud of a rose.

rosehip

noun

The soft, round fruit of a wild rose bush, which holds the plant's seeds.

roselle

noun

A hibiscus plant whose flowers can be eaten or brewed to make a herbal tea.

rosemary

noun

A fragrant evergreen herb used widely in cooking and, historically, in perfume.

rosemond

name

A female forename originating from the Germanic languages.

rosen

adjective

Made from roses, or having the pinkish colour of roses.

Rosenberg

name

A surname of German origin meaning "rose mountain", also the name of several towns in Germany.

Rosenthal

name

A surname of German origin meaning "rose valley".

rosetta

noun

A leaf-shaped or rounded pattern created in the foam of a latte or similar coffee drink.

rosette

noun

A rose-shaped ornament or badge, often made of ribbon, given as a prize or worn as a symbol.

rosewood

noun

A dense, fragrant tropical hardwood, prized for furniture and musical instruments, that smells faintly of roses when cut.

Rosey

name

A diminutive of the feminine given name Rose, a variant spelling of Rosie.

Roshan

name

A masculine given name and surname meaning "light" or "radiance", of Persian and Sanskrit origin.

Rosie

name

A diminutive of the feminine given name Rose, also used as a formal given name.

rosin

noun

A solid form of resin, obtained from liquid resin by vaporizing its volatile components.

Rosina

name

A feminine given name of Italian origin, a pet form of Rosa.

rosish

adj

Slightly pink in colour.

Roslin

name

A surname and place name, notably a village in Scotland famous for Rosslyn Chapel.

Roslyn

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Rosalind or Roslin.

Ross

noun

The rough, scaly bark on the outside of a tree trunk.

Rossi

name

An Italian surname derived from "rosso," meaning red, often referring to hair or complexion.

rossiter

name

The name of a census-designated place in Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States, founded as a coal mining town.

Rosso

name

An Italian surname meaning "red," often used as a nickname for someone with red hair.

Rossum

name

A surname of Dutch or Czech origin, notably used in the play "R.U.R." by Karel Čapek, which introduced the word "robot."

roster

noun

A list of people assigned to a team, unit, or organization.

Rostov

name

A Russian city name, most notably Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.

rostrum

noun

A raised platform that a speaker, conductor or performer stands on.

Roswell

name

A city in New Mexico, USA, widely known for a 1947 alleged UFO incident.

rosy

adj

Pink or reddish in colour, like a rose.

rot

verb

To decay or break down through the action of bacteria or fungi.

rota

noun

A list or rotating schedule that shares out a task among a group of people.

rotary

adj

Turning or able to turn around a central axis.

rotate

verb

To turn around a central point or axis.

rotated

adjective

Turned around a central point or axis.

rotating

adjective

Turning or spinning around a fixed axis.

rotation

noun

The action or process of turning around a centre or axis.

rotational

adj

Relating to, or caused by, turning around a point.

rotator

noun

A person or thing that rotates or causes rotation.

ROTC

noun

Reserve Officers' Training Corps: a United States programme run at colleges and universities that trains students to become commissioned military officers, usually in exchange for scholarship money and a service commitment after graduation.

rote

noun

A fixed, mechanical way of doing or repeating something, without real understanding.

Roth

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, meaning "red," often denoting red hair or complexion.

Rothman

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, meaning "red man."

Rothschild

noun

An extremely wealthy person (informal, from the famous banking family).

Rothstein

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, meaning "red stone."

roti

noun

A round, unleavened flatbread cooked on a griddle, common across South Asia and the Caribbean.

rotisserie

verb

To cook meat by turning it slowly on a rotating spit.

rotor

noun

The rotating part of a motor, generator, or similar machine.

rotorcraft

noun

An aircraft, such as a helicopter or drone, that stays airborne using spinning rotor blades.

rotted

adjective

Decayed or broken down by rot; no longer sound.

rotten

adj

Decayed and spoiled, especially of food.

rottenly

adv

In a bad or unpleasant way.