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