n. (also r{ocirc}le)
1. an actor's part in a play, film, etc.
2 a person's or thing's characteristic or expected function (the role of the tape recorder in language-learning).
Phrases and idioms:
role model a person looked to by others as an example in a particular role. role-playing an exercise in which participants act the part of another character, used in psychotherapy, language-teaching, etc.
Etymology: F r{ocirc}le and obs. F roule, rolle, ROLL n.