roe

[ roh ]

/ roʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR roe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the mass of eggs, or spawn, within the ovarian membrane of the female fish.

the milt or sperm of the male fish.

the eggs of any of various crustaceans, as the coral of the lobster.

Nearby words

Origin of roe

1400–50; late Middle English rowe; cognate with Old High German rogo

roe

[ roh ]

/ roʊ /

noun, plural roes, (especially collectively) roe.

roe deer.

Origin of roe

before 900; Middle English roo, Old English rā, rāha; cognate with German Reh

ROE

Accounting.

return on equity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for roe

They were busily implementing these in cases like Roe v. Wade when a right-wing insurgency took them by surprise.
A Reminder: Our Justices are Politicians in Robes|Jedediah Purdy|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Advocates on both sides are celebrating and condemning Roe and its implications at events in Washington and across the country.
What Do Threats To Roe V. Wade And Domestic Violence Have In Common? Patriarchy.|Sally Kohn|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The anti-abortion-rights community feels the country is ready for a reevaluation of Roe v. Wade, says Conway.
Marco Rubio Weighs Supporting Abortion Ban, a Tricky Stand|Eleanor Clift|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We know this from the days before Roe v. Wade, and we know it from around the world.
Why Women Went to Kermit Gosnell|Michelle Goldberg|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I have only ever voted for Democrats, so overturning Roe v. Wade is not one of my priorities.
Abortion Rights Community Has Become the NRA of the Left|Kirsten Powers|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Presently out rushed four or five girls, wild and laughing; then came one, bounding like a roe!
Rab and His Friends and Other Papers|John Brown
Mr. Roe himself has supplied this in a letter written nearly a year ago, to an admirer, and part of which I am allowed to copy.
E.P. Roe: Reminiscences of his Life|Mary A. Roe
The Indians prefer the tripe de roche when prepared along with the roe of fish, or when boiled in fish liquor.
The Young Voyageurs|Mayne Reid
The roe they prepared and shipped abroad for the Russians' piquant table delicacy.
Virginia: The Old Dominion|Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins
Mother says fishes comes from hard roes, so I chuck'd in the roe of a red-herring last week, but I doesn't catch any fish yet.
The Sketches of Seymour (Illustrated), Part 2.|Robert Seymour

British Dictionary definitions for roe

roe

/ (rəʊ) /

noun

Also called: hard roe the ovary of a female fish filled with mature eggs

Also called: soft roe the testis of a male fish filled with mature sperm

the ripe ovary of certain crustaceans, such as the lobster

Word Origin for roe

C15: from Middle Dutch roge, from Old High German roga; related to Old Norse hrogn

noun plural roes or roe

short for roe deer

Word Origin for roe

Old English rā (ha), related to Old High German rēh (o), Old Norse rā

Roe

/ (rəʊ) /

noun

Richard Roe law (formerly) the defendant in a fictitious action, Doe versus Roe, to test a point of lawSee also Doe (def. 1)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for roe

roe

n.1

"fish eggs," mid-15c., probably from an unrecorded Old English *hrogn, from Proto-Germanic *khrugna (cf. Old Norse hrogn, Danish rogn, Swedish rom, Flemish rog, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch roge, Old High German rogo, German Rogen "roe"), from PIE *krek- "frog spawn, fish eggs" (cf. Lithuanian kurkle, Russian krjak "spawn of frogs"). Exact relations of the Germanic words are uncertain.

roe

n.2

"small deer," Old English ra, from raha, from Proto-Germanic *raikhaz (cf. Old Norse ra, Old Saxon reho, Middle Dutch and Dutch ree, Old High German reh, German Reh "roe"), of uncertain origin; perhaps from PIE root *rei- "streaked, spotted, striped in various colors."