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roach

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roach¹

  • /ɹəʊtʃ/ UK
  • /ɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US

Rhymes with -əʊtʃ

Where it comes from

From Middle English roche, from Old French roche, from Middle Low German roche, ruche (“ray (fish)”), from Old Saxon *rūh, possibly from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz (“rough”).

Cognate with Old English ruhha ("a ray"; > Middle English rouhe, rohȝe), German Rochen (“ray (fish)”).

noun roaches · roach

  1. Any fish of species in the genus Rutilus, especially
  2. A common roach (Rutilus rutilus).
  3. Any member of the genus Hesperoleucus of California roaches.

roach²

  • /ɹəʊtʃ/ UK
  • /ɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US

Rhymes with -əʊtʃ

Where it comes from

Back-formation from cockroach, as if it were a compound.

Marijuana-related meanings by similarity of appearance of the butt, attested since the 1930s.

noun roaches

  1. US Synonym of cockroach (“type of insect”).

    Similar: cockroach

  2. derogatory, slang Synonym of cockroach (“as a term of abuse”).

    Similar: cockroach

  3. US, slang The butt of a marijuana cigarette.
  4. US, slang An entire marijuana cigarette, blunt, or joint. In his half hour of free time between brooms it was Willie's custom to smoke his lunch in an alleyway. He'd take just half a roach, only enough to make him feel a new day was starting, no more no less.
  5. UK, slang The filter of a rolled cigarette or joint, made from card or paper (often of the cigarette paper packet itself). Last toke is the yellowing fabric of the roach, containing the stuff that is less than tobacco.

verb roaches · roaching · roached

  1. Synonym of roach out. Yamato roached on his best friend.

    Similar: roach out

roach³

  • /ɹəʊtʃ/ UK
  • /ɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US

Rhymes with -əʊtʃ

Where it comes from

Apparently from extended or figurative use of roach (“Cyprinidae”), above. Compare the adjective roached (“styled so that the mane stands up from the neck”).

noun roaches

  1. Sail material that forms a concave curve rather than straight leech (aft edge) of a sail to increase the sail area over that of a simple triangular sail.
  2. A haircut or a similar-looking kind of headdress worn by some of the indigenous peoples of North America, often red.

verb roaches · roaching · roached

  1. transitive To cut or shave off the mane of a horse so that the remaining hair stands up on the neck.
  2. broadly, transitive To cut a person's hair so that it stands straight up.

roach⁴

  • /ɹəʊtʃ/ UK
  • /ɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US

Rhymes with -əʊtʃ

Where it comes from

Variant of roche (“rock”). Attested since the seventeenth century.

noun roaches

  1. UK, obsolete A bed or stratum of some mineral. After long Working of this Coal, it was found upon the rising Grounds, that there lay another Roach of Coal, at the Depth of 14 Yards under it
  2. UK, regional Gritty or coarse rock; especially Portland stone or similar limestone. The roach, both of the top and bottom beds, is always imperceptibly incorporated with the freestone, which is invariable situated beneath it.

Roach⁵

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, of Norman origin, from Old French roche (“rock”). Compare Roch.

* Also as an English surname, from the River Roch; see Roch.

* Also as an English surname, shortened from Rochdale.

proper noun Roachs · Roaches

  1. countable, uncountable A surname from Anglo-Norman
  2. countable, uncountable A surname from placenames
  3. countable, uncountable A river in Essex, England, which is a stream before becoming a tidal river and joining the River Crouch; in full, the River Roach.
  4. alternative, countable, uncountable Alternative spelling of Roch, the River Roch or Roach, A river in Greater Manchester, England. Roach appears to be mainly an older spelling. A Bacup to Manchester Victoria via Heywood diesel multiple-unit crossing the River Roach at Heap Bridge, Bury on November 4, 1960.
  5. countable, uncountable A short river in Piscataquis County, Maine, which flows into Moosehead Lake.
  6. countable, uncountable A short river in Virginia, a tributary of the Rivanna River.
  7. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Camden County, Missouri.
  8. countable, uncountable A ghost town in Clark County, Nevada.
  9. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Cabell County, West Virginia.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: cockroach, rutilus rutilus, bug, rush, cigarette, butt, roche, creeper, joint, mgm, roch, rosh, cyprinid, cypriniform, cyprinoid, rockfish

Translations

Every language

noun Rutilus rutilus

Españolleucisco, rutilo
日本語ローチ rōchi
中文擬鯉 /拟鲤 nǐlǐ
Françaisgardon
DeutschPlötze, Rotauge
Русскийплотва́ plotvá

noun slang: filter of a marijuana cigarette

Ελληνικάτζιβάνα tzivána

noun slang: butt of a marijuana cigarette

Españolbacha, calilla, calillón, changa, chicharra, chusta
Françaiscul, cul de joint

noun nautical: curve in the aft edge of a sail

Italianoallunamento

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Cite this
MLA

"roach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/roach. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

roach. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/roach

Chicago

"roach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/roach.

BibTeX
@misc{roach_2026,
  title = {roach},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/roach},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}