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Origin and history of rooftop

rooftop(n.)

also roof-top, "the top of a roof," 1610s, from roof (n.) + top (n.1). As an adjective by 1935 in reference to anything situated on top of a building.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to rooftop

roof(n.)

"outer upper covering of a house or other building," Middle English rof, from Old English hrof "roof," also "ceiling," hence figuratively "highest point, top, summit" also "heaven, the sky;" from Proto-Germanic *khrofam (source also of Old Frisian rhoof "roof," Middle Dutch roof, rouf "cover, roof," Dutch roef "deckhouse, cabin, coffin-lid," Middle High German rof "penthouse," Old Norse hrof "boat shed").

No apparent connections outside Germanic. "English alone has retained the word in a general sense, for which the other languages use forms corresponding to OE. þæc thatch" [OED]. Meaning "top of a carriage, etc." is by 1706. The meaning "upper part of the mouth, the hard palate" was in late Old English (hrof ðæs muðes). To raise the roof "create an uproar" is attested from 1860, originally in U.S. Southern dialect.

top(n.1)

"highest point of something vertical, most elevated end or point," Old English top, toppa "summit; crest, tuft, bunch of hair," from Proto-Germanic *toppa- (source also of Old Norse toppr "tuft of hair," Old Frisian top "tuft," Old Dutch topp, Dutch top, Old High German zopf "end, tip, tuft of hair," German Zopf "tuft of hair"). 

There are no certain connections outside Germanic except a few Romanic words probably borrowed from Germanic (toupee (n.) is from one of them, Old French top "tuft, forelock;" also compare Spanish tope).

Indo-European languages seldom have a "top" word so generic; it may be used of almost any upper part or surface. German has Spitze for sharp peaks (mountains), oberfläche for the upper surface of flat things such as a table.

From mid-13c. as "head, crown of the head;" mid-15c. as "piece fitted to the top of something." Specifically as "beginning of a story, narrative, etc." (as in from the top), by late 14c. Also by late 14c. specifically as "head or upper part of a plant," especially the above-ground part of root-crop plants such as turnips or carrots. By early 15c. as "cover or lid of a vessel."

The meaning "highest position" is from 1620s; the meaning "highest example, type, or representation, best or choicest part" is attested from 1660s, as in the Hibernicism top of the morning (attested by 1843). Also by 1620s as "upper part of a riding boot." The sense of "dominant sexual partner" is by 1961.

Top of the world as "position of greatest eminence" is from 1670s. Top-of-the-line (adj.) is by 1950. Figurative expression off the top of (one's) head "impromptu, without consideration" is by 1939.

Top in the nautical sense of "platform surrounding the head of a mast" is by early 15c. and is an element in many sailing words as well as nautical figures such as top and topgallant "in full rig, in full force."

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    pot
    "deep, circular vessel," from late Old English pott and Old French pot "pot, container, mortar" (also in erotic senses), both from a general Low Germanic (Old Frisian pott, Middle Dutch pot) and Romanic word from Vulgar Latin *pottus, which is of uncertain origin, said by Barnhar
    clobber
    "to hit hard, defeat decisively," 1941, British air force slang, of unknown origin, probably related to bombing; possibly echoic. Related: Clobbered; clobbering. In late 19c. British slang an identical word principally had to do with clothing, as in clobber (n.) "clothes," (v.) "
    perpendicular
    late 15c., perpendiculer, of a line, "lying at right angles to the horizon" (in astronomy, navigation, etc.), from an earlier adverb (late 14c.), "at right angles to the horizon," from Old French perpendiculer, from Late Latin perpendicularis "vertical, as a plumb line," from Lat
    planet
    late Old English planete, in old astronomy, "star other than a fixed star; star revolving in an orbit," from Old French planete (Modern French planète) and directly from Late Latin planeta, from Greek planētēs, from (asteres) planētai "wandering (stars)," from planasthai "to wand
    phenomenon
    1570s, "a fact directly observed, a thing that appears or is perceived, an occurrence," especially a regular kind of fact observed on certain kinds of occasions, from Late Latin phænomenon, from Greek phainomenon "that which appears or is seen," noun use of neuter present partici
    prophet
    late 12c., "person who speaks for God; one who foretells, inspired preacher," from Old French prophete, profete "prophet, soothsayer" (11c., Modern French prophète) and directly from Latin propheta, from Greek prophētēs (Doric prophatēs) "an interpreter, spokesman, proclaimer; a
    passion
    c. 1200, "the sufferings of Christ on the Cross; the death of Christ," from Old French passion "Christ's passion, physical suffering" (10c.), from Late Latin passionem (nominative passio) "suffering, enduring," from past-participle stem of Latin pati "to endure, undergo, experien
    knockoff
    also knock-off, "cheap imitation," 1966, from the verbal phrase knock off "do hastily" (1817), in reference to the casual way the things are made. The verbal phrase knock off is attested from 1640s as "desist, stop" (work, study, etc.), hence knockoff (n.) "act of leaving work" (
    wisdom
    Old English wisdom "knowledge, learning, experience," from wis (see wise (adj.)) + -dom. A common Germanic compound (Old Saxon, Old Frisian wisdom, Old Norse visdomr, Old High German wistuom "wisdom," German Weistum "judicial sentence serving as a precedent"). Wisdom teeth are so
    honeymoon
    "indefinite period of tenderness and pleasure experienced by a newly wed couple," 1540s (hony moone), but probably older, from honey (n.) in reference to the new marriage's sweetness, and moon (n.) "month" in reference to how long it probably will last, or from the changing aspec

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