roster

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈrɑstɚ/ UK /ˈrɒstə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a list of names, duties, or players; to enter on such a list

The coach posted the new roster on the locker-room door.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a list of names, duties, or... list register roll schedule rotalineup

Word family

Derived forms rosteredrostering

Related forms rota

Simplified etymology

Roster was borrowed in the early 18th century from Dutch rooster “list,” which had earlier meant “gridiron.” That word came from roosten “to roast,” and the list was probably named for its gridlike parallel lines; in English, a roster initially listed military duties and leave.

Etymology

From Dutch rooster ('list, schedule', literally 'gridiron'), from roosten ('to roast'), so named because such lists were ruled into a grid resembling a gridiron.

rooster Dutch

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# roster

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈrɑstɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈrɒstə/

## Meanings
1. a list of names, duties, or players; to enter on such a list

## Examples
- The coach posted the new roster on the locker-room door.

## Synonyms
- list
- register
- roll
- schedule
- rota
- lineup

## Derived Forms
- rostered
- rostering

## Related Forms
- rota

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rooster

## Etymology
From Dutch rooster ('list, schedule', literally 'gridiron'), from roosten ('to roast'), so named because such lists were ruled into a grid resembling a gridiron.

## AI Etymology
Roster comes from Dutch rooster ('list, schedule', literally 'gridiron'), from roosten ('to roast'), so named because such lists were ruled into a grid resembling a gridiron. The historical chain includes Dutch rooster. Older glosses in the chain include "list, schedule", "gridiron", and "to roast", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, roster is best read as borrowing, yielding an English noun and verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun and verb, with the sense "a list of names, duties, or players; to enter on such a list". English derivatives include rostered and rostering; related forms include rota. The result is an English noun and verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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