roe

¹

[roh]

noun

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

2. the milt or sperm of the male fish.

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

roe

²

[roh]

noun

plural

roes ,

plural

roe .

1. roe deer.

ROE

³

Accounting.

1. return on equity.

roe

¹

/ rəʊ /

noun

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

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

3. the ripe ovary of certain crustaceans, such as the lobster

roe

²

/ rəʊ /

noun

1. short for roe deer

Roe

³

/ rəʊ /

noun

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

roe

1. The eggs of a fish, often together with the membrane of the ovary in which they are held.

Word History and Origins

Origin of roe¹

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

Origin of roe²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of roe¹

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

Origin of roe²

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

Example Sentences

Why do deviled eggs get their renaissance — topped with trout roe, no less — while the stuffed tomato remains the punchline of a joke no one quite remembers?

From Salon

In the wild they prey on roe deer, young red deer and also hares and rabbits.

From BBC

"Walking through the woods, I spotted this roe doe grazing the foliage," says Walker-Nix.

From BBC

Red urchins are favored over the purple urchins because they contain more edible uni or roe inside, but commercial divers say the amount has shrunk with less kelp.

From Seattle Times

Some of the products don’t even contain any trace of sturgeon roe.

From Salon