Roses, War of the
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Roses, War of the → see WARS OF THE ROSES
Ro-set-ta space probe, the /rəʊˌzetə ˈspeɪs prəʊb/ also the Ro-setta 'comet chaser a spacecraft sent into space in 2004 from Kourou in French Guiana. It was designed to spend 12 months following a COMET called Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and intended to land on the comet. The aim was to examine what the comet is made of and how it behaves. Scientists hope that this information will help them to solve the mystery of how life began in the Solar System. The money for the project was provided by the European Space Agency.
Ro'setta Stone, the a large ancient stone that was found in Egypt in 1799, which had the same piece of writing on it in three different writing systems: Greek letters, Egyptian letters, and ancient Egyptian HIEROGLYPHICS. This important discovery made it possible for people to translate hieroglyphics for the first time. The stone is now kept in the British Museum.
ro-sette /rəʊˈzet/ n 1 a bunch of RIBBONS (=narrow silk bands) made up in the form of a broad flat flower and worn for decoration or as a sign of something: She won a rosette in the riding competition. 2 a shape like this in stone or wood, cut on a building as a decoration
rose-water /ˈrəʊzˌwɔːtəʳ, ˌwɒ-, -ˌwɑ-/ n [U] a liquid made from roses and used for its pleasant smell
'rose window n a circular decorative window in a church, usually containing a pattern of small divisions spreading out from a centre and filled in with coloured glass
rose-wood /ˈrəʊzwʊd/ n [U] a valuable hard dark red tropical wood, used for making fine furniture
Rosh Ha-sha-nah, Rosh Hashana /ˌrɒʃ hɑːˈʃɑːnə, ˌraʊʃ hɑːˈʃɔːnə/ n an important Jewish religious holiday, which celebrates the beginning of the Jewish new year and continues for two days. It is usually in September.
Ro-si-cru-cians, the /ˌrəʊzɪˈkruːʃənz/ n [P] an international secret society of men, begun in the 17th century, who were involved in mysterious practices involving magic and spirits. There are also modern groups with the same name, especially in the US, who claim to be related to the original Rosicrucians.
Rosie the Riv-eter /ˌrəʊzi ðə ˈrɪvətəʳ/ a NICK-NAME given to any US woman who worked in factories making weapons or aircraft during WORLD WAR II. Rosie the Riveter was a character who appeared in US government films and POST-ERS about the work that women did during the war.
ros-in¹ /ˈrɒzɪn||ˈrɑː-/ n [U] RESIN, especially as used in a solid form on the strings of musical instruments
rosin² v [T] to rub with rosin
Ross, Bet-sy /rɒs||rɔːs, ˈbetsi/ (1752–1836) the woman who is believed to have made the first US flag
Ross, Diana (1944–) a US SOUL singer who sang with The Supremes until 1970, when she started to sing on her own. Her songs include Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Love Hangover.
Ross, Jon-a-than /ˈdʒɒnəθən||ˈdʒɑː-/ (1960–) a British presenter of television and radio programmes which have included CHAT SHOWS (=shows where famous people are asked questions and talk about themselves) and the BBC's main weekly film programme. He is famous for wearing expensive and colourful SUITS, and for pronouncing the letter r like a letter w.
Ros-set-ti, Chris-ti-na Geor-gi-na /rəʊˈzetɪ, krɪˈstiːnə dʒɔːˈdʒiːnə–ldʒɔːr-/ (1830–94) a British poet known for her religious poems, some of which are used as HYMNS. She was the sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828–82) a British artist and poet who helped to start the PRE-RAPHAELITE movement. His paintings were mostly based on religious subjects or old stories about King Arthur. He was the brother of Christina Georgina Rossetti. → see colour photo on page A29
Ros-si-ni, Gio-ac-chi-no /rɒˈsiːniˌlraʊ-, ˌdʒəʊəˈkiːnəʊ/ (1792–1868) an Italian COMPOSER most famous for writing many OPERAS, especially The Barber of Seville (1816). The OVERTURE to his opera William Tell (1829) is very well known, and was used as the SIGNATURE TUNE to the 1950s television programme The Lone Ranger.
ros-ter /ˈrɒstəʳ||ˈrɑː-/ n a list of people's names, especially giving the jobs they have to do or the times at which they have to do them: a duty roster
ros-trum /ˈrɒstrəm||ˈrɑː-/ n pl. -trums or -tra /ˈtrɑː/ a raised place (PLATFORM) for a public speaker, music CONDUCTOR etc
ros-y /ˈrəʊzi/ adj 1 apprec (especially of the human skin) pink and healthy-looking: rosy cheeks 2 giving hope, especially without good reason: He painted a rosy picture of the company's prospects. (=described them in a very hopeful way, perhaps without good cause) → -iness n [U]
rot¹ /rɒt||rɑːt/ v -tt- [I;T(AWAY, DOWN)] to (cause to) decay by a gradual natural process; (cause to) go bad: The meat will rot if it isn't kept cool. | The damp has rotted (away) the roof beams. | rotting vegetables | You can rot garden waste down to make a fine compost. | (fig.) They left him to rot in prison for twenty years. | (fig.) Too much television rots your brain. → see also ROTTEN
rot² n 1 [U] the process of rotting or an area of rotten growth; decay: an old hollow tree full of rot → see also DRY ROT 2 [the S] infml the process by which everything goes wrong or gets worse: He thinks the rot set in (=started) when the country was opened up to tourists. | It was tourism that really started the rot. | Their profits are going down and down, and they don't know how to stop the rot. 3 [U] BrE old-fash infml foolish remarks or ideas: Don't talk such rot!
ro-ta /ˈrəʊtə/ n especially BrE a list giving details of things which are to be done in a particular order, especially by different people taking turns: We organized the cleaning on a rota basis. (=according to a list) | to draw up a rota
Ro-tar-i-an /rəʊˈteərɪən/ n a member of the Rotary Club
ro-tary /ˈrəʊtəri/ adj 1 also rotatory — (of movement) turning round a fixed point, like a wheel: the rotary movement of the blades 2 being or having a moving part that does this: a rotary lawn mower | a rotary clothes line
'Rotary Club, the an international organization made up of small local clubs, whose members work together to help their local areas by doing CHARITY work. Members usually work in PROFESSIONAL jobs, for example as doctors, lawyers, or business people, and they are called Rotarians.
ro-tate /rəʊˈteɪt||ˈroʊteɪt/ v [I;T] 1 to (cause to) turn round a fixed point or AXIS: The Earth rotates once every 24 hours. | a rotating mirror → compare REVOLVE 2 to (cause to) take turns or come round in regular order: We rotate the crops, sowing wheat one year, sugar beet the next, and so on. | The chairmanship of the department rotates annually.
ro-ta-tion /rəʊˈteɪʃən/ n 1 [U] the action of rotating: the rotation of the Earth on its axis | The rotation of crops keeps the soil healthy and fertile. 2 [C] one complete turn round a fixed point 3 in rotation (of events) coming round one after the other in regular order: The seasons follow each other in rotation.
ro-ta-to-ry /rəʊˈteɪtəri||ˈroʊtətɔːri/ adj ROTARY
ROTC, the /ˌrɒtsiˈlˈrɑːt-/ abbrev. for Reserve Officer Training Corps; a programme run by the US army to train college students in military leadership. If a student joins the programme, the army often agrees to pay for the student's education, in return for two to four years of military service after finishing university. Some students see the ROTC as a way of getting a university education at low cost.
rote /rəʊt/ n [U] fml repeated study using memory rather than understanding. Learning by rote is not fashionable in British schools: to learn poetry by rote | rote-learning