/ ˈrɒstrəm; NAmE ˈrɑːs-/ noun
( pl. ros·trums or ros·tra / -trə; NAmE /) a small raised platform that a person stands on to make a speech, conduct music, receive a prize, etc.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin , literally beak (from rodere gnaw). The word was originally used (at first in the plural rostra ) to denote part of the Forum in Rome, which was decorated with the beaks of captured galleys, and was used as a platform for public speakers.