Meanings
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1
noun
a raised platform for a public speaker, conductor, or other prominent person
The conductor stepped onto the rostrum and raised her baton.
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2
noun
a beaklike snout, projection, or mouthpart in an animal or plant
The weevil uses its elongated rostrum to bore into seeds.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Latin rostrum, 'beak or ship's prow,' related to rodere ('to gnaw'). The Roman Rostra, public speaking platforms in the Forum, were named for the captured ships' prows that decorated them. English then generalized the platform sense.