roister

English

Etymology

From Old French rustre, from Latin rusticus. Doublet of rustic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɔɪstə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɔɪstɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪstə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: roist‧er

Verb

roister (third-person singular simple present roisters, present participle roistering, simple past and past participle roistered)

1. (intransitive) To engage in noisy, drunken, or riotous behaviour.

   Synonyms: carouse, revel, riot

   • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:

     Then Elzevir cried out angrily, 'Silence. Are you mad, or has the liquor mastered you? Are you Revenue-men that you dare shout and roister? or contrabandiers with the lugger in the offing, and your life in your hand. You make noise enough to wake folk in Moonfleet from their beds.'

   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     He loved Rick and gave the best years of his life, now to roistering with him, now to hanging on to his coat-tails.

2. (intransitive) To walk with a swaying motion.

   Synonym: swagger

Alternative forms

• royster (archaic)

Derived terms

• roisterer
• roisterous
• roisterously

Noun

roister (plural roisters)

1. (archaic) A roisterer.
   • 1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 77:

     He now suspected that the grave roysters of the mountain had put a trick on him, and having dosed him with liquor, had robbed him of his gun.

   • 1839, The New Monthly Magazine, page 411:

     The youth who had joined the roisters, was apparently about eighteen […]

Alternative forms

• royster (archaic)

Synonyms

• roister-doister

Anagrams

• Storrie, Terrios, rioters, storier