Cooks meat or vegetables with dry heat in an oven, or jokes that make fun of someone in a playful way; plural roasts are large cuts of meat.
From Old French 'rostir.' The cooking method dates back centuries. The slang meaning of 'making fun of' became popular in modern comedy circles.
Roast comedy battles have medieval origins—courts used to hire people to insult nobles for entertainment, and now it's evolved into comedians competing to deliver the best insults at celebrity roast events.
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