Etymograph

English

take roll

Take roll comes from English roll ‘catalogue, list’.

  1. English1500–presentroll1‘catalogue, list’
  2. Englishtodaytake roll1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English take roll

Lineage

  1. English1500–presentrollWiktionary, English take roll‘catalogue, list’
  2. Englishtodaytake rollWiktionary, English take roll

Made of the words take + roll

Old English tacan ‘to grasp’

Middle English taken ‘to take’

English take

Latin rota ‘wheel’

Latin rotula ‘a little wheel’

Medieval Latin rotulāre ‘to roll; to revolve’

Old French roller

Middle English rollen

English roll

Every English word from English roll

Today it means

verb To call out the names of people on a list to check their presence; to take attendance.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “take roll”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / English roll / take roll

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