Meanings
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1
noun
The covering on top of a building that protects it from rain and weather.
The storm tore part of the roof off the house.
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2
noun
The top inner surface of a space, such as a cave or the mouth.
The tongue touches the roof of the mouth to make certain sounds.
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3
verb
To put a roof on a building.
They roofed the new shed with metal sheets.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English rof, from Old English hrōf (“roof, ceiling; top, summit; heaven, sky”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōfą (“roof”). Cognate with Scots ruif (“roof, ceiling”), Dutch roef (“cabin on a boat”), Icelandic hróf (“shed”), Irish cró (“pen, barn, cabin”), Proto-Slavic *stropъ (“roof, ceiling”). Compare Faroese rógv (“something high up”).
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