Where does “role” come from?
role (Czech) comes from German rolle, from French rôle, from Middle French rolle, from Old French role, from Medieval Latin rotulus, from Latin rotula, from Arabic رَطْل, from Classical Syriac ܪܝܛܠܐ — ingot.
role (Czech): role, part; lines; role
Definitions
- role, part; lines; role
Ancestry of “role”, step by step
role traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German rolle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | rolle | inflection of rollen: ## first-person singular... |
| 2 | French | rôle | role; character |
| 3 | Middle French | rolle | role |
| 4 | Old French | role | roll; scroll |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | rotulus | a roll, list, catalogue, schedule, record, a... |
| 6 | Latin | rotula | a small wheel; roll |
| 7 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 8 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 9 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 10 | French | litre | litre |
| 11 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |