Etymology Map
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Roast

3 stages from Frankish to English.

Today it means to cook food in an oven or over a fire; to mock someone playfully

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

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