roller

roller

1. a cylinder having an absorbent surface and a handle, used for spreading paint

2. a heavy cast-iron cylinder or pair of cylinders on an axle to which a handle is attached; used for flattening lawns

3. a long heavy wave of the sea, advancing towards the shore

4. a hardened cylinder of precision-ground steel that forms one of the rolling components of a roller bearing or of a linked driving chain

5. a cylinder fitted on pivots, used to enable heavy objects to be easily moved; castor

6. Printing a cylinder, usually of hard rubber, used to ink a forme or plate before impression

7. Med a bandage consisting of a long strip of muslin or cheesecloth rolled tightly into a cylindrical form before application

8. a band fastened around a horse's belly to keep a blanket in position

9. any of various Old World birds of the family Coraciidae, such as Coracias garrulus (European roller), that have a blue, green, and brown plumage, a slightly hooked bill, and an erratic flight: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc.)

10. a variety of tumbler pigeon that performs characteristic backward somersaults in flight

11. a breed of canary that has a soft trilling song in which the notes are run together

12. short for steamroller

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

roller

[′rō·lər]

(design engineering)

A cylindrical device for transmitting motion and force by rotation.

(geology)

rod

(oceanography)

A long, massive wave which usually retains its form without breaking until it reaches the beach or a shoal.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

roller

1. See paint roller.

2. A self-propelled or towed device to compact soil.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Roller

 

(Coracias garrulus), a bird of the order Coraciiformes measuring about 34 cm long and weighing about 190 g. The stiff plumage is greenish azure; the top of the wings and the back are brown. The roller occurs in Europe, Southwest Asia, and northwestern Africa. In the USSR it is present as far east as the Altai and as far north as Estonia and the Tatar ASSR. The bird winters in the tropical and southern regions of Africa. It nests in hollows and, in the south, in holes dug out of cliffs; less commonly it nests in buildings. A clutch contains four to six white eggs, which are incubated for 18 or 19 days. The roller feeds on large insects, lizards, frogs, and, sometimes, rodents. In the autumn its diet includes grapes and berries.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.