Main Entry: ¹roast

Pronunciation: \ˈrōst\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English rosten, from Anglo-French rostir, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rōsten to roast

Date: 13th century

transitive verb 1 a : to cook by exposing to dry heat (as in an oven or before a fire) or by surrounding with hot embers, sand, or stones <roast a potato in ashes> b : to dry and parch by exposure to heat <roast coffee beans>
2 : to heat (inorganic material) with access of air and without fusing to effect change (as expulsion of volatile matter, oxidation, or removal of sulfur from sulfide ores)
3 : to heat to excess <roasted by the summer sun>
4 : to subject to severe criticism or ridicule <films have been roasted by most critics — H. J. Seldes>
5 : to honor (a person) at a roastintransitive verb 1 : to cook food by heat
2 : to undergo being roasted