What does "roof" mean?
Roof: That which resembles, or corresponds to, the covering or the ceiling of a house; as, the roof of a cavern; the roof of the mouth. The flowery roof Showered roses, which the morn repaired. Milton.
Additional senses
- 2.(Mining.) The surface or bed of rock immediately overlying a bed of coal or a flat vein. Bell roof, French roof, etc. (Arch.) See under Bell, French, etc. -- Flat roof. (Arch.) (a) A roof actually horizontal and level, as in some Oriental buildings. (b) A roof nearly horizontal, constructed of such material as allows the water to run off freely from a very slight inclination. -- Roof plate. (Arch.) See Plate, n., 10.
- 3.To cover with a roof. I have not seen the remains of any Roman buildings that have not been roofed with vaults or arches. Addison.
- 4.To inclose in a house; figuratively, to shelter. Here had we now our country's honor roofed. Shak.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00