Loading earlier words…
Roseworm

The larva of any one of several species of lepidopterous insects which feed upon the leaves, buds, or blossoms of the rose, especially Cacaecia rosaceana, which rolls up the leaves for a nest, and devours both the leaves and buds.

Rosewort

Roseroot. Any plant nearly related to the rose.

Rosicrucian

Of or pertaining to the Rosicrucians, or their arts.

Rosied

Decorated with roses, or with the color of roses.

Rosier

A rosebush; roses, collectively.

Rosin

To rub with rosin, as musicians rub the bow of a violin.

Rosinweed

The compass plant. See under Compass. A name given in California to various composite plants which secrete resins or have a resinous smell.

Rosiny

like rosin, or having its qualities.

Rosland

heathy land; land full of heather; moorish or watery land.

Rosmarine

A fabulous sea animal which was reported to climb by means of its teeth to the tops of rocks to feed upon the dew.

Rosolic

Pertaining to, or designating, a complex red dyestuff (called rosolic acid) which is analogous to rosaniline and aurin. It is produced by oxidizing a mixture of phenol and cresol, as a dark red amorphous mass, C20H16O3, which forms weak salts with bases, and stable ones with acids. Called also methyl aurin, and, formerly, corallin.

Ross

To divest of the ross, or rough, scaly surface; as, to ross bark.

Rostellate

Having a rostellum, or small beak; terminating in a beak.

Rostellum

A small beaklike process or extension of some part; a small rostrum; as, the rostellum of the stigma of violets, or of the operculum of many mosses; the rostellum on the head of a tapeworm.

Roster

A register or roll showing the order in which officers, enlisted men, companies, or regiments are called on to serve.

Rostral

Of or pertaining to the beak or snout of an animal, or the beak of a ship; resembling a rostrum, esp., the rostra at Rome, or their decorations.

Rostrifera

A division of pectinibranchiate gastropods, having the head prolonged into a snout which is not retractile.

Rostrulum

A little rostrum, or beak, as of an insect.

Rosulate

Arranged in little roselike clusters; -- said of leaves and bracts.

Rosy

Resembling a rose in color, form, or qualities; blooming; red; blushing; also, adorned with roses.

Rot

Process of rotting; decay; putrefaction.

Rota

A species of zither, played like a guitar, used in the Middle Ages in church music; -- written also rotta.

Rotal

Relating to wheels or to rotary motion; rotary.

Rotalite

Any fossil foraminifer of the genus Rotalia, abundant in the chalk formation. See Illust. under Rhizopod.

Rotary

Turning, as a wheel on its axis; pertaining to, or resembling, the motion of a wheel on its axis; rotatory; as, rotary motion.

Rotate

To cause to turn round or revolve, as a wheel around an axle.

Rotated

Turned round, as a wheel; also, wheel-shaped; rotate.

Rotation

Pertaining to, or resulting from, rotation; of the nature of, or characterized by, rotation; as, rotational velocity.

Rotative

turning, as a wheel; rotary; rotational.

Rotator

that which gives a rotary or rolling motion, as a muscle which partially rotates or turns some part on its axis.

Rotche

A very small arctic sea bird (Mergulus alle, or Alle alle) common on both coasts of the Atlantic in winter; -- called also little auk, dovekie, rotch, rotchie, and sea dove.

Rotchet

The European red gurnard (Trigla pini).

Rote

To go out by rotation or succession; to rotate.

Rotella

Any one of numerous species of small, polished, brightcolored gastropods of the genus Rotella, native of tropical seas.

rotenone

A chemical substance (C23H22O6) extracted from the root of the derris (Derris elliptica, Derris malaccensis, and other species), used in treatment of scabies and as an insecticide for external infestation by chiggers in human medicine, and in veterinary medicine for the treatment of infestations with fleas, ticks, and lice.

Rotifer

One of the Rotifera. See Illust. in Appendix.

Rotifera

An order of minute worms which usually have one or two groups of vibrating cilia on the head, which, when in motion, often give an appearance of rapidly revolving wheels. The species are very numerous in fresh waters, and are very diversified in form and habits.

Rotiform

Wheel-shaped; as, rotiform appendages.

Rotograph

A photograph printed by a process in which a strip or roll of sensitized paper is automatically fed over the negative so that a series of prints are made, and are then developed, fixed, cut apart, and washed at a very rapid rate.

Rotor

The rotating part of a generator or motor. Contrasted with stator, the stationary part.

Rotten

Having rotted; putrid; decayed; as, a rotten apple; rotten meat. Offensive to the smell; fetid; disgusting.

Rotula

The patella, or kneepan.

Rotular

Of or pertaining to the rotula, or kneepan.

Rotunda

A round building; especially, one that is round both on the outside and inside, like the Pantheon at Rome. Less properly, but very commonly, used for a large round room; as, the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington.

Rotundate

Rounded; especially, rounded at the end or ends, or at the corners.

Rotundity

The state or quality of being rotu/; roundness; sphericity; circularity.

Roture

The condition of being a roturier.

Roturier

A person who is not of noble birth; specif., a freeman who during the prevalence of feudalism held allodial land.

Roue

One devoted to a life of sensual pleasure; a debauchee; a rake.

Rouet

A small wheel formerly fixed to the pan of firelocks for discharging them.

Rouge

To tint with rouge; as, to rouge the face or the cheeks.

Rouge dragon

One of the four pursuivants of the English college of arms.

Rougecroix

One of the four pursuivants of the English college of arms.

Rough

To render rough; to roughen.

Rough-grained

Having a rough grain or fiber; hence, figuratively, having coarse traits of character; not polished; brisque.

Rough-legged

Having the legs covered with feathers; -- said of a bird.

Roughcast

A rude model; the rudimentary, unfinished form of a thing.

Roughdraw

To draw or delineate rapidly and by way of a first sketch.

Roughdry

in laundry work, to dry without smoothing or ironing.

Roughhew

To hew coarsely, without smoothing; as, to roughhew timber.

Roughhewn

Hewn coarsely without smoothing; unfinished; not polished.

Roughing-in

The first coat of plaster laid on brick; also, the process of applying it.

Roughleg

Any one of several species of large hawks of the genus Archibuteo, having the legs feathered to the toes. Called also rough-legged hawk, and rough-legged buzzard.

Roughly

In a rough manner; unevenly; harshly; rudely; severely; austerely.

Roughness

The quality or state of being rough.

Roughrider

One who breaks horses; especially (Mil.), a noncommissioned officer in the British cavalry, whose duty is to assist the riding master.

Roughscuff

A rough, coarse fellow; collectively, the lowest class of the people; the rabble; the riffraff.

Roughshod

Shod with shoes armed with points or calks; as, a roughshod horse.

Roughstrings

Pieces of undressed timber put under the steps of a wooden stair for their support.

Roughtail

Any species of small ground snakes of the family Uropeltidae; -- so called from their rough tails.

Roughwork

To work over coarsely, without regard to nicety, smoothness, or finish.

Roughwrought

Wrought in a rough, unfinished way; worked over coarsely.

Rouk

See 5th Ruck, and Roke.

Roulade

A smoothly running passage of short notes (as semiquavers, or sixteenths) uniformly grouped, sung upon one long syllable, as in Handel's oratorios.

Rouleau

A little roll; a roll of coins put up in paper, or something resembling such a roll.

Roulette

To make short incisions in with a roulette; to separate by incisions made with a roulette; as, to roulette a sheet of postage stamps.

Roumanian

An inhabitant of Roumania; also, the language of Roumania, one of the Romance or Romanic languages descended from Latin, but containing many words from other languages, as Slavic, Turkish, and Greek.

Rounce

The handle by which the bed of a hand press, holding the form of type, etc., is run in under the platen and out again; -- sometimes applied to the whole apparatus by which the form is moved under the platen.

Rounceval

A giant; anything large; a kind of pea called also marrowfat.

Rouncy

A common hackney horse; a nag.

Round

To grow round or full; hence, to attain to fullness, completeness, or perfection.

Round up

to collect or gather together scattered animals, persons, or things.

Round-arm

Applied to the method delivering the ball in bowling, by swinging the arm horizontally.

Round-backed

Having a round back or shoulders; round-shouldered.

Loading more words…