ROT ( 765 ) R o U
iifee/-R opes, ropes affixed to thehind legs of horses for some directpurpose.
ROQUE, Fr. a blockhouse, or stronghold built upon a rock.
ROSACE ou ROSASSE, Fr. in ar-chitecture. See Rose.
ROSE, in architecture, &c. is an or-nament cut so as to resemble a rose.
The rose is chiefly used in friezes,cornices, vaults of churches, and parti-cularly in the middle of each face ofthe Corinthian abacus. It is also usedin the spaces between the raodilionsunder the plafonds of cornices.
Rose ‘buds. See Nails.
ROSETTE, an ornamental hunch ofblack riband, or cut leather, which wasworn both by officers and soldiers in theBritish service, on the upper part oftheir cues, when those appendages weredeemed necessary.
Rosettes, two small bunches ofribands that are attached to the loopsby which the gorget of an officer is sus-pended upon his chest. The colour ofthe riband must correspond with thefacing of the uniform. The French usethe same word.
ROSETTE, Fr. molten copper, suchas is used in the allay or mixture ofmetals for cannon and mortars.
ROSIN. See Resin.
ROSSE, Fr. a jade; a sorry horse.
ROSTER, in military affairs , is aplan, or table, by which the duty of offi-cers, entire battalions, and squadrons,is regulated.
ROSTRAL Crown , (couronne rostrale ,Fr.) a crown which was bestowed uponthat Roman soldier who should first leapon board an enemy’s ship. We wondersome honourable marks of distinctionare not given to British sailors for featsof valour. Medals are bestowed uponthe non-commissioned officers a«d sol-diers in the army.
ROSTRUM, a Latin word which lite-rally means the beak or bill of a bird,and figuratively the prow of a vessel.There was in a public place in ancientRome , a tribunal ornamented with va-rious prows of ships, which the Romanshad taken from the Antiati. The ora-tors, who harangued the people inpublic, mounted this Rostrum. Hencethe Roman phrase; to speak from abovethe rostra or prows.
ROTATION, in geometry, is the
circumvolution of a surface round 4i*immoveable line called the axis of ro-tation.
ROTULE, Fr. the knee-hall.
ROUAGE, Fr. the wheel-work of acarriage, &c.
Boh de Rouage, Fr. timber to makewheels with.
ROUANNE, Fr. a concave iron in-strument, which is used for the purposeof enlarging the hollow of a pump. Itlikewise signifies a mark. Belidor writesthe word boinette , and says it is a smalltool with which carpenters and coopersmark wood.
ROUANNER, Fr. to bore; also tomark casks.
ROUE, Fr. a libertine; one whoseprinciples of morality are considerablyrelaxed, but who is not sufficientlyvitiated in his manners to he excludedfrom society. The Freuch make afamiliar use of the term, particularlyamong officers, and do not affix any de-gree of stigma to it. They say, on thecontrary, C y cst un aimable roue ; he isan agreeable, gay fellow.
Maitresse Roue, Fr. great wlieel.
Roue de feu , Fr. an artificial fire-work. See Soleil tournant.
ROUELLE, or wheel spur. See Spur.
ROUER de coups , Fr. to beat un-mercifully.
ROUET, Fr. a small solid wheel,made of steel, formerly fixed to the pansof blunderbusses and pistols, for thepurpose of firing them oif.
Arquebuses et Pistolets a Rouet, Fr.blunderbusses and pistols to which asmall wheel was attached. These fire-arms are now very little known; some,however, are stilt to be found in arsenals;being kept there merely for curiosity.
Rouet, Fr. a circular assemblage offour or more platforms, of oak, to formthe foundation of a well, &c. uponwhich is placed the first lay of dry rub-ble, stone, or bricks.
Rouet de poulie , Fr. sheave of apulley.
Rouet de moulin, Fr. the cog wheelof a mill. It is called rouet dentele.
Rouet de serrure, Fr. scutcheon ofa lock.
Rouet cfarquebuse, Fr. lock of anarquebuse.
ROUGES, boulets Rouges, Fr. red-hot-balls.