rostrum

Meaning

1. A dais, pulpit, or similar platform for a speaker, conductor, or other performer.
2. A platform for a film or television camera.
3. The projecting prow of a rowed warship, such as a trireme.
4. The beak.
5. The beak-shaped projection on the head of insects such as weevils.
6. The snout of a dolphin.
7. The oral or nasal region of a human used for anatomical location (i.e. rostral).
8. Any beak-like extension.
9. The inner segment of the coronal lobes in asclepiads.

Synonyms

platform

podium

dais

pulpit

stage

beak

snout

tribune

lectern

speaker’s platform

bill

ambo

neb

soapbox

stand

stump

nib

world of criticism

gait

spout

forum

seat of equity

step

seat of sermon

footstep

pas

pace

nozzle

Translations

tribune

tribune

chaire

rostro

Rednerbühne

tribuna

becco

estrade

tribunal

Podium

podio

βήμα

Tribüne

pulpito

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɹɒstɹəm/

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin rōstrum (“beak, snout”), from rōd(ō) (“gnaw”) + -trum, from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- + *-trom. The pulpit sense is a back-formation from the name of the Roman Rōstra, the platforms in the Forum where politicians made speeches. The Rōstra were decorated with (and named for) the beaks (prows) of ships from naval victories.