Word Origin & History
roof
O.E. hrof "roof, ceiling, top," from P.Gmc. *khrofaz (cf. O.Fris. rhoof "roof," M.Du. roof "cover, roof," Du. roef "deckhouse, cabin, coffin-lid," M.H.G. rof "penthouse," O.N. hrof "boat shed"). No apparent connections outside Gmc. "English alone has retained the word in a general sense, for which the other languages use forms corresponding to OE. þæc thatch" [OED]. The verb is from c.1475. Roof of the mouth is from late O.E. Raise the roof "create an uproar" is attested from 1860, originally in Southern Amer.Eng. Roofer "one who makes or repairs roofs" is from 1855.