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Added 10 October 2026

rostrum

/ˈɹɒstɹəm/ noun

Latin root: rōstrum Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rostrum at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A dais, pulpit, or similar platform for a speaker, conductor, or other performer.
A platform for a film or television camera.
The projecting prow of a rowed warship, such as a trireme.

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin rōstrum (“beak, snout”), from rōd(ō) (“gnaw”) + -trum, from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- + *-trom. The pulpit sense is a back-formation from the name of the Roman Rōstra, the platforms in the Forum where politicians made speeches. The Rōstra were decorated with (and named for) the beaks (prows) of ships from naval victories.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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