Roast  —v. 1  a cook (food, esp. Meat) or (of food) be cooked in an oven or by open heat (roast chestnuts). B heat (coffee beans) before grinding. 2 refl. Expose (oneself etc.) To fire or heat. 3 criticize severely, denounce. —attrib. Adj. Roasted (roast beef). —n. 1 a roast meat. B dish of this. C piece of meat for roasting. 2 process of roasting. [french rost(ir) from germanic]