'rolling stock n [U] everything on wheels that belongs to a railway, such as engines and carriages
rolling stone n infml a person who travels around a lot and has no fixed address or responsibilities → see a rolling stone gathers no moss (ROLL $ ^{1} $)
,Rolling 'Stone a US magazine that mainly has articles on the people and events connected with ROCK and POP music, but also has articles on politics, film, and POPULAR CULTURE (=culture intended for ordinary people)
,Rolling 'Stones, The also The Stones a British ROCK group who first became popular in 1963 and became one of the most successful groups ever. Their songs include (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Jumping Jack Flash, and Honky Tonk Woman. Most of their songs are written by Keith Richards, who also plays the GUITAR, and Mick JAGGER, their main singer. → see colour photo on page A30
roll·mop /'rɒlmop/ ra:lma:p/ n BrE a piece of HERRING that has been rolled up and pickled (PICKLE)
,roll of 'honour BrE || honor roll AmE — n a list of the names of people who have earned praise, e.g. by passing an examination, showing bravery in battle etc
'roll-on n 1 a liquid that is put on, especially onto the body, by means of a rolling ball in the neck of its container: roll-on deodorants 2 a woman's elastic GIRDLE that is pulled on in one piece, worn especially formerly
'roll-on, roll-off also ro-ro infml — adj [A] especially BrE allowing vehicles to drive on and off: a roll-on roll-off car ferry
roll-o-ver /'rəuləʊvər/ n 1 [C;U] the process of moving money from one bank account or INVESTMENT to another without any tax or other FEEs having to be paid 2 [C] BrE a situation in which nobody wins the biggest prize in a LOTTERY competition in a particular week, and the money is added to the prize that can be won the following week 3 [C] an accident in which a car turns over onto its roof
Rolls-Royce /,rəʊlz 'rɒsɪs/ 1 trademark a very expensive and comfortable car, made in England. Rolls-Royce is owned by Volkswagen. 2 BrE inflm something that is regarded as the highest quality example of a particular type of product: the Rolls-Royce of video recorders
roll-top desk /ˌræultopˈdeskl-taːp-/ n a desk whose cover rolls back out of the way when it is opened
ro·ly-po·ly¹ /,rəuli 'pəuli·/ also ,roly-poly 'pudding n [C;U] (in Britain) (a) sweet dish made of JAM that is rolled up in pastry and then baked or boiled
roly-poly $ ^{2} $ adj infml humor (of a person) fat and round: a roly-poly little man
ROM /romllra:m/ n [U] abbrev. for read-only memory; the part of a computer where permanent instructions and information are stored  $ \rightarrow $ compare RAM
ro·maine let·tuce /rəʊ,meɪn 'letɪs/ n especially AimE for COS LETTUCE
ro·man /ˈrəʊmən/ n [U] (the ordinary style of) printing with upright letters like the ones used for printing these words → compare ITALICS
Roman $ ^{1} $ n 1 the Romans an ancient people from Rome, who are remembered especially as skilled and effective soldiers. They gradually gained control of the whole of Italy and later large parts of Europe (including England and Wales), north Africa, and western Asia. The Romans are thought of as great builders and engineers who built roads, water supply systems, and many large and beautiful public buildings. They are also remembered for public shows in which GLADIATORS fought and killed each other and Christians were killed by wild animals. → see also ROMAN EMPIRE 2 someone from ancient Rome 3 someone who lives in the city of Rome
Roman² adj 1 from or connected with ancient Rome or the Roman Empire: The Roman name for London was London-tum. 2 from or connected with the city of Rome
Roman 'alphabet the alphabet that begins A, B, C etc, which is used in English and many other European languages, and is different from the Greek, Arabic, and Cyrillic alphabets
'Roman 'candle n a tube-shaped FIREWORK that shoots out burning coloured stars
'Roman 'Catholic also Catholic n a member of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest group in the Christian religion. Their leader is the Pope, who has the power to decide questions of belief and moral behaviour. Roman Catholics emphasize the importance of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and of the SAINTs. They have stricter rules about sexual behaviour than many other Christian groups. They are opposed to CONTRACEPTION and ABORTION and Roman Catholic priests are not allowed to get married and must be CELIBATE (=never having sex). —Roman Catholic, Catholic adj —, Roman Ca'tholicism, Catholicism n [U]
ro·mance¹ /rəʊ'mæns, rə-, 'rəʊmæns/ n 1 [C] a love affair: She thought it was going to be the big romance of her life, but he left her after only a few weeks. 2 [U] a ROMANTIC quality: the romance of life in the Wild West 3 [C] a story of love, adventure, mystery etc, often set in a distant time or place, whose events are happier or grander or more exciting than those of real life: a romance about a king who married a beggar girl 4 [U] love between a man and a woman: She went on holiday in search of romance.
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain and the US, romance is typically represented by boxes of chocolates, red roses, dinners by CANDLELIGHT, love letters, and walks by the light of the moon.
ro·mance² /rəʊ'mæns, rə-/ v [l] rare 1 [(about)] to tell improbable stories 2 [(with)] to carry on a love affair
Ro'mance ,language n [C] a language that comes from Latin, for example French or Spanish
'Roman 'Empire, the countries of Europe, north Africa, and western Asia that were ruled by the ancient Romans from around 44 BC until AD 395, when the EMPIRE was divided into two parts. The Western Roman Empire continued until 476, and the Eastern 'Roman Empire continued until the 15th century. → see also ROMAN, HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
Ro·man·esque /ˌrəʊməˈnesk⌒/ adj in the style of building that was popular in Western Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries, and had many round ARCHES and thick PILLARS
Ro·ma·ni·a /rəʊˈmeɪniə/ also Rumania or Roumania a country in southeast Europe, east of Hungary and west of the Black Sea. Population: 22,271,839 (2003). Capital: Bucharest, From the end of World War II it was a Communist country, but in 1989 there was a REVOLUTION. Nicolae CEAUÇESCU, who had led the country since the 1960s, was killed and Romania became a DEMOCRACY. —Romanian n, adj
Roman 'law n [U] law CIVIL LAW
Roman 'nose n [C] a nose that curves out near the top
Roman 'numeral n any of the signs (such as I, II, V, X, L, D) used for numbers in ancient Rome and sometimes now
→ compare ARABIC NUMERAL
Romano→ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
'Roman 'road n a road built by the ROMANs in ancient times and known for being very straight
ro·man·tic¹ /rəʊ'mæntɪk, rə-/ adj 1 showing strong feelings of love: 'Tom always sends me red roses on my birthday.' 'Hou romantic!' 2 dealing with or suggesting love, adventure writers of romantic fiction | The old abbey ruins look ver-romantic in the moonlight. 3 sometimes derog showing a lot o-imagination or impractical: She has romantic notions abou-becoming a famous actress. | middle-class intellectuals with their romantic back-to-nature ideas 4 [no comp.] (often cap.) (qart, literature, and music) marked by romanticism: romanti-poetry ︷ally /kli/ adv
romantic² n 1 a •romantic person 2 also Romantic —
writer, artist, or musician whose work is in the style or
romanticism
Ro·man·ti·cis·m, romanticism /rəu'məntɪsɪzəm, rə-/[U] a style in European art, literature, and music that emphasized the importance of emotion and imagination rather than thought. It first became popular at the end of the 18th century, as a deliberate change from the style of CLASSICISM and it remained an important influence for most of the 19th century. → compare CLASSICISM, REALISM
ro·man·ti·cize also -cise BYE /rəʊ'mæntʃsərz, rə-/ v [ɒt] derog to make (something) seem more interesting or ROMANTI than it really is: He tends to romanticize his past. | The filr gives a rather romanticized picture of life during the war.
Ro'mantic ,Movement, the (in English and Europea