Word of the Day

: November 22, 2021

roister

verb ROY-ster

What It Means

Roister means "to engage in noisy partying or celebration."

// Fans roistered after their team won the championship.

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roister in Context

"Of course, my student life wasn't all angst and regret. I spent much of my time falling in and out of love and roistering around the world of Cambridge theatre." — Joan Bakewell, The Guardian (London), 8 Sept. 2021

Did You Know?

Roister is related to French ruste, meaning "rude" or "rough." That word comes from the fairly neutral Latin rusticus, meaning "rural." Originally, the English verb was simply roist, and one who roisted was a roister. Those words are no longer used; instead, we have the verb roister, and the corresponding noun roisterer.