ROLL, v.t. [It is usual to consider this word as formed by contraction from the Latin rotula, a little wheel, from rota.]

1. The act of rolling, or state of being rolled; as, the roll of a ball.
2. The thing rolling. – Thomson.
3. A mass made round; something like a ball or cylinder; as, a roll of fat; a roll of wool. – Addison. Mortimer.
4. A roller; a cylinder of wood, iron or stone; as, a roll to break clods. – Mortimer.
5. A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form; as, a roll of woollen or satin; a roll of lace.
6. A cylindrical twist of tobacco.
7. An official writing; a list; a register; a catalogue; as, a muster-roll; a court-roll.
8. The beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.
9. Rolls of court, of parliament, or of any public body, are the parchments on which are engrossed, by the proper officer, the acts and proceedings of that body, and which being kept in rolls, constitute the records of such public body.
10. In antiquity, a volume; a book consisting of leaf, bark, paper, skin or other material on which the ancients wrote, and which being kept rolled or folded, was called in Latin volumen, from volvo, to roll. Hence,
11. A chronicle; history; annals. Nor names more noble graced the rolls of fame. – Trumbull.
12. Part; office; that is, round of duty, like turn. [Obs.]

1. To move by turning on the surface, or with the successive application of all parts of the surface to a plane; as, a ball or wheel rolls on the earth; a body rolls on an inclined plane.
2. To move, turn or run on an axis; as a wheel. [In this sense, revolve is more generally used.]
3. To run on wheels. And to the rolling chair is bound. – Dryden.
4. To revolve; to perform a periodical revolution; as, the rolling year; ages roll away.
5. To turn; to move circularly. And his red eyeballs roll with living fire. – Dryden.
6. To float in rough water; to be tossed about. Twice ten tempestuous nights I roll'd. – Pope.
7. To move, as waves or billows, with alternate swells and depressions. Waves roll on waves.
8. To fluctuate; to move tumultuously. What diff'rent sorrows did within thee roll. – Prior.
9. To be moved with violence; to be hurled. Down they fell / By thousands, angel on archangel roll'd. – Milton.
10. To be formed into a cylinder or ball; as, the cloth rolls well.
11. To spread under a roller or rolling-pin. The paste rolls well.
12. To wallow; to tumble; as, a horse rolls.
13. To rock or move from side to side; as, a ship rolls in a calm.
14. To beat a drum with strokes so rapid that they can scarcely be distinguished by the ear.

1. To move by turning on the surface, or with a circular motion in which all parts of the surface are successively applied to a plane; as, to roll a barrel or puncheon; to roll a stone or ball. Sisyphus was condemned to roll a stone to the top of a hill, which, when he had done so, rolled down again, and thus his punishment was eternal.
2. To revolve; to turn on its axis; as, to roll a wheel or a planet.
3. To move in a circular direction. To dress, to troll the tongue and roll the eye. – Milton.
4. To wrap round on itself; to form into a circular or cylindrical body; as, to roll a piece of cloth; to roll a sheet of paper; to roll parchment; to roll tobacco.
5. To inwrap; to bind or involve in a bandage or the like. – Wiseman.
6. To form by rolling into round masses. – Peacham.
7. To drive or impel any body with a circular motion, or to drive forward with violence or in a stream. The ocean rolls its billows to the shore. A river rolls its waters to the ocean.
8. To spread with a roller or rolling-pin; as, to roll paste.
9. To produce a periodical revolution. Heav'n shone and roll'd her motions. – Milton.
10. To press or level with a roller; as, to roll a field. To roll one's self, to wallow. – Mic. i.

1. To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface; as, to roll a wheel, a ball, or a barrel.
2. To move, as a curved object may, along a surface by rotation without sliding; to revolve upon an axis; to turn over and over; as, a ball or wheel rolls on the earth; a body rolls on an inclined plane.
   
   

   And her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone, which rolls, and rolls, and rolls. Shak.

3. The act of rolling, or state of being rolled; as, the roll of a ball; the roll of waves.
4. To wrap round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by causing to turn over and over; as, to roll a sheet of paper; to roll parchment; to roll clay or putty into a ball.
5. To move on wheels; as, the carriage rolls along the street.
   
   
   "The rolling chair." Dryden.
6. That which rolls; a roller.
   
   
   Specifically: (a)
7. To bind or involve by winding, as in a bandage; to inwrap; -- often with up; as, to roll up a parcel.
8. To be wound or formed into a cylinder or ball; as, the cloth rolls unevenly; the snow rolls well.
9. That which is rolled up; as, a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc.
   
   
   Specifically: (a)
10. To drive or impel forward with an easy motion, as of rolling; as, a river rolls its waters to the ocean.
    
    

    The flood of Catholic reaction was rolled over Europe. J. A. Symonds.

11. To fall or tumble; -- with over; as, a stream rolls over a precipice.
12. A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself.
13. To utter copiously, esp. with sounding words; to utter with a deep sound; -- often with forth, or out; as, to roll forth some one's praises; to roll out sentences.
    
    

    Who roll'd the psalm to wintry skies. Tennyson.

14. To perform a periodical revolution; to move onward as with a revolution; as, the rolling year; ages roll away.
15. The oscillating movement of a vessel from side to side, in sea way, as distinguished from the alternate rise and fall of bow and stern called pitching.
16. To press or level with a roller; to spread or form with a roll, roller, or rollers; as, to roll a field; to roll paste; to roll steel rails, etc.
17. To turn; to move circularly.
    
    

    And his red eyeballs roll with living fire. Dryden.

18. A heavy, reverberatory sound; as, the roll of cannon, or of thunder.
19. To move, or cause to be moved, upon, or by means of, rollers or small wheels.
20. To move, as waves or billows, with alternate swell and depression.
    
    

    What different sorrows did within thee roll. Prior.

21. The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.
22. To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
23. To incline first to one side, then to the other; to rock; as, there is a great difference in ships about rolling; in a general semse, to be tossed about.
    
    

    Twice ten tempestuous nights I rolled. Pope.

24. Part; office; duty; rôle.
    
    
    [Obs.] L'Estrange.

    Long roll (Mil.), a prolonged roll of the drums, as the signal of an attack by the enemy, and for the troops to arrange themselves in line. -- Master of the rolls. See under Master. -- Roll call, the act, or the time, of calling over a list names, as among soldiers. -- Rolls of court, of parliament (or of any public body), the parchments or rolls on which the acts and proceedings of that body are engrossed by the proper officer, and which constitute the records of such public body. -- To call the roll, to call off or recite a list or roll of names of persons belonging to an organization, in order to ascertain who are present or to obtain responses from those present.

    Syn. -- List; schedule; catalogue; register; inventory. See List.

25. To apply (one line or surface) to another without slipping; to bring all the parts of (one line or surface) into successive contact with another, in suck manner that at every instant the parts that have been in contact are equal.
26. To turn over, or from side to side, while lying down; to wallow; as, a horse rolls.
27. To turn over in one's mind; to revolve.
    
    

    Full oft in heart he rolleth up and down
    The beauty of these florins new and bright. Chaucer.

    To roll one's self, to wallow. -- To roll the eye, to direct its axis hither and thither in quick succession. -- To roll one's r's, to utter the letter r with a trill. [Colloq.]

28. To spread under a roller or rolling-pin; as, the paste rolls well.
29. To beat a drum with strokes so rapid that they can scarcely be distinguished by the ear.
30. To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise; as, the thunder rolls.
    
    

    To roll about, to gad abroad. [Obs.]

    Man shall not suffer his wife go roll about. Chaucer.