Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - roast

 I. verb  Etymology: Middle English rosten, from Anglo-French rostir, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rosten to ~  Date: 13th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to cook by exposing to dry heat (as in an oven or before a fire) or by surrounding with hot embers, sand, or stones ~ a potato in ashes  b. to dry and parch by exposure to heat ~ coffee beans  2. to heat (inorganic material) with access of air and without fusing to effect change (as expulsion of volatile matter, oxidation, or removal of sulfur from sulfide ores)  3. to heat to excess ~ed by the summer sun  4. to subject to severe criticism or ridicule films have been ~ed by most critics — H. J. Seldes  5. to honor (a person) at a ~  intransitive verb  1. to cook food by heat  2. to undergo being ~ed  II. noun  Date: 14th century  1. a piece of meat suitable for ~ing  2. a gathering at which food is ~ed before an open fire or in hot ashes or sand  3. an act or process of ~ing; specifically severe banter or criticism  4. a banquet honoring a person (as a celebrity) who is subjected to humorous tongue-in-cheek ridicule by friends  III. adjective  Date: 14th century that has been ~ed ~ beef