roast

Where does the word "roast" come from? It comes from Frankish raustjan, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Roast’s story begins in Frankish: raustjan meant “to grill.” A Germanic verb for cooking on a grid, related to German 'Rost', grill. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as rostir. Used for meat turned on a spit before an open fire. It reached English by 1200s as roast. The sense 'to mock harshly' dates from the 1700s; comedic 'roasts' followed. Today, roast means to cook food in an oven or over a fire; to mock someone playfully.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient raustjan "to grill", a Germanic verb for cooking on a grid, related to German 'Rost', grill.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval rostir "to roast", used for meat turned on a spit before an open fire.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s roast "to cook by dry heat", the sense 'to mock harshly' dates from the 1700s; comedic 'roasts' followed.