roost

[roost]
noun
1.
a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night.
2.
a large cage, house, or place for fowls or birds to roost in.
3.
a place for sitting, resting, or lodging.
verb (used without object)
4.
to sit or rest on a roost, perch, etc.
5.
to settle or stay, especially for the night.
00:10
Roost is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to spend time idly; loaf.
6.
come home to roost, (of an action) to revert or react unfavorably to the doer; boomerang: an evil deed that came home to roost and ruined his life.
7.
rule the roost, to be in charge or control; dominate: It was only too apparent that his grandfather ruled the roost.

Origin:
before 1100; Middle English roost (noun), Old English hrōst; cognate with Middle Dutch roest

un·roost·ed, adjective
un·roost·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
roost (ruːst) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a place, perch, branch, etc, where birds, esp domestic fowl, rest or sleep
2.  a temporary place to rest or stay
3.  rule the roost See rule
 
vb
4.  (intr) to rest or sleep on a roost
5.  (intr) to settle down or stay
6.  come home to roost to have unfavourable repercussions
 
[Old English hrōst; related to Old Saxon hrost loft, German Rost grid]

Roost (ruːst) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
the Roost a powerful current caused by conflicting tides around the Shetland and Orkney Islands
 
[C16: from Old Norse röst]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

roost
late O.E. hrost "wooden framework of a roof, perch," from a Gmc. source, related to O.S. hrost, M.Du., Flem., Du. roest, roost "framework of a roof," O.N. hrot, Goth. hrot "roof." Exact relationship and ulterior connections unknown. The verb is from 1530. To rule the roost is recorded from 1769.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

roost

see chickens come home to roost; rule the roost.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Pileated woodpeckers live in forests that have large trees, which they need to
  roost and nest in.
Without a higher power to rule the roost, the ability to successfully prosecute
  any case becomes rare.
As bats leave to feed, they will drop out of the roost unhindered.
Vultures will usually return to the same roost each night and generally roost
  on the same branch as previous nights.
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