Roller definition | Dictionary.com

roll⋅er

1 [roh-ler]

–noun

1.	a person or thing that rolls.

2.	a cylinder, wheel, caster, or the like, upon which something is rolled along.

3.	a cylindrical body, revolving on a fixed axis, esp. one to facilitate the movement of something passed over or around it.

4.	a cylindrical object upon which something is rolled up: the roller of a window shade.

5.	a hollow, cylindrical object of plastic, stiff net, or the like, upon which hair is rolled up for setting.

6.	a cylindrical body for rolling over something to be spread out, leveled, crushed, smoothed, compacted, impressed, inked, etc.

7.	any of various other revolving cylindrical bodies, as the barrel of a music box.

8.	Metalworking. a person in charge of a rolling mill.

9.	a long, swelling wave advancing steadily.

10.	a rolled bandage.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME; see roll, -er ¹

Synonyms:
9. breaker, comber.

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roll⋅er

2 [roh-ler]

–noun Ornithology.

1.	any of several Old World birds of the family Coraciidae that tumble or roll over in flight, esp. in the breeding season.

2.	tumbler (def. 9).

3.	one of a variety of canaries having a warbling or trilling song.

Origin:
1655–65; < G Roller, deriv. of rollen to roll

tum⋅bler

[tuhm-bler]

–noun

1.	a person who performs leaps, somersaults, and other bodily feats.

2.	(in a lock) any locking or checking part that, when lifted or released by the action of a key or the like, allows the bolt to move.

3.	a stemless drinking glass having a flat, often thick bottom.

4.	(in a gunlock) a leverlike piece that by the action of a spring forces the hammer forward when released by the trigger.

Machinery.

a.	a part moving a gear into place in a selective transmission.

b.	a single cog or cam on a rotating shaft, transmitting motion to a part with which it engages.

6.	a tumbling box or barrel.

7.	a person who operates a tumbling box or barrel.

8.	one of a breed of dogs resembling a small greyhound, used formerly in hunting rabbits.

9.	Also called roller. one of a breed of domestic pigeons noted for the habit of tumbling backward in flight.

10.	a toy, usually representing a fat, squatting figure, that is weighted and rounded at the bottom so as to rock when touched.

11.	a tumbrel or tumble cart.

Origin:
1300–50; ME: acrobat; see tumble, -er ¹ . Compare LG tümeler drinking-cup, kind of pigeon

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Roller

roll·er¹ (rō'lər)

One that rolls or performs a rolling operation or activity.
Any of various cylindrical or spherical devices that roll or rotate, especially:
1. A small spokeless wheel, such as that of a roller skate or caster.
2. An elongated cylinder on which something, such as a window shade or towel, is wound.
3. A heavy revolving cylinder that is used to level, crush, or smooth.
4. Printing A cylinder, usually of hard rubber, used to ink the type before the paper is impressed.
5. A cylinder of wire mesh, foam rubber, or other material around which a strand of hair is wound to produce a soft curl or wave.
A long rolled bandage.
A heavy swelling wave that breaks on a coast.
A tumbler pigeon.

rol·ler² (rō'lər)

Any of various Old World birds of the family Coraciidae, having bright blue wings, stocky bodies, and hooked bills. They are noted for their aggressiveness and their habit of rolling and twisting in flight, especially during the breeding season.
A canary that trills.

[German, from rollen, to roll, burble; see rollmops.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roller

Roll"er\, n. 1. One who, or that which, rolls; especially, a cylinder, sometimes grooved, of wood, stone, metal, etc., used in husbandry and the arts.

2. A bandage; a fillet; properly, a long and broad bandage used in surgery.

3. (Naut.) One of series of long, heavy waves which roll in upon a coast, sometimes in calm weather.

4. A long, belt-formed towel, to be suspended on a rolling cylinder; -- called also roller towel.

5. (Print.) A cylinder coated with a composition made principally of glue and molassess, with which forms of type are inked previously to taking an impression from them. --W. Savage.

6. A long cylinder on which something is rolled up; as, the roller of a man.

7. A small wheel, as of a caster, a roller skate, etc.

8. (Zo["o]l.) ANy insect whose larva rolls up leaves; a leaf roller. see Tortrix.

9. [CF. F. rollier.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of Old World picarian birds of the family Coraciad[ae]. The name alludes to their habit of suddenly turning over or "tumbling" in flight.

Note: Many of the species are brilliantly colored. The common European species (Coracias garrula) has the head, neck, and under parts light blue varied with green, the scapulars chestnut brown, and the tail blue, green, and black. The broad-billed rollers of India and Africa belong to the genus Eurystomus, as the oriental roller (E. orientalis), and the Australian roller, or dollar bird (E. Pacificus). The latter is dark brown on the head and neck, sea green on the back, and bright blue on the throat, base of the tail, and parts of the wings. It has a silvery-white spot on the middle of each wing.

10. (Zo["o]l.) Any species of small ground snakes of the family Tortricid[ae].

Ground roller (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of Madagascar rollers belonging to Atelornis and allied genera. They are nocturnal birds, and feed on the ground.

Roller bolt, the bar in a carriage to which the traces are attached; a whiffletree. [Eng.]

Roller gin, a cotton gin inn which rolls are used for separating the seeds from the fiber.

Roller mill. See under Mill.

Roller skate, a skate which has small wheels in the place of the metallic runner; -- designed for use in skating upon a smooth, hard surface, other than ice.

Language Translation for : Roller

Spanish: rodillo,

German: die Walze,

Japanese: ローラー

More Translations »

roller (n.)

c.1420, "rolling pin," from roll (v.). Meaning "hair-curler" is attested from 1795. Religious holy roller is attested from 1842, Amer.Eng. Roller-skate first attested 1863, Amer.Eng.; the verb is from 1928. Rollerblade is first attested 1985, a registered proprietary name in U.S. Roller-coaster is recorded from 1888; roller derby is from 1936.

Main Entry: roller
—see TONGUE ROLLER

roller

any of about 12 species of Old World birds constituting the family Coraciidae (order Coraciiformes), named for the dives and somersaults they perform during the display flights in courtship. The family is sometimes considered to include the ground rollers and cuckoo rollers. Rollers inhabit warm regions from Europe and Africa to Australia.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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