Meanings
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1
noun
a silvery-green European freshwater fish, or any of several related fishes
The angler released the small roach into the lake.
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2
noun
informal: a cockroach
A roach disappeared into a crack beneath the kitchen cabinet.
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3
noun
the short remaining end of a smoked cannabis cigarette
He extinguished the roach in the ashtray.
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4
verb
to cut a horse's mane short so that the remaining hair stands upright
The groom chose to roach the horse's tangled mane.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The fish name comes through Middle English and Anglo-French roche; its deeper origin is uncertain. The insect sense is a shortening of cockroach, while the cigarette-end and grooming senses have separate later histories. Their shared spelling makes roach a set of established homonyms.