First Known Use: 1542
Dictionary
rostrum
noun ros·trum \ˈräs-trəm also ˈrȯs-\
: a small raised platform on a stage
plural ros·tra \-trə\ or rostrums
Full Definition of ROSTRUM
1
[Latin Rostra, plural, a platform for speakers in the Roman Forum decorated with the beaks of captured ships, from plural of rostrum] a : an ancient Roman platform for public orators b : a stage for public speaking c : a raised platform on a stage
2
: the curved end of a ship's prow; especially : the beak of a war galley
3
: a bodily part or process suggesting a bird's bill: as a : the beak, snout, or proboscis of any of various insects or arachnids b : the often spinelike anterior median prolongation of the carapace of a crustacean (as a crayfish or lobster)
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Origin of ROSTRUM
Latin, beak, ship's beak, from rodere to gnaw — more at rodent
Other Performing Arts Terms
Rhymes with ROSTRUM
ROSTRUM Defined for Kids
rostrum
noun ros·trum \ˈrä-strəm\
plural ros·tra \-trə\ or rostrums
Definition of ROSTRUM for Kids
: a stage or platform for public speaking
Medical Dictionary
rostrum
noun ros·trum \ˈräs-trəm also ˈrȯs-\
plural rostrums or ros·tra \-trə\
Medical Definition of ROSTRUM
: a bodily part or process suggesting a bird's bill: as a : the reflected anterior portion of the corpus callosum below the genu b : the interior median spine of the body of the basisphenoid bone articulating with the vomer
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