What’s the plural of “roof”?
- The plural of roof is roofs.
Some use rooves, which is nonstandard and uncommon. Certain dictionaries do not recognize “rooves” as a word, such as Merriam-Webster’s.
Despite other nouns ending in –f switching to –ves as a plural, (e.g., hoof, leaf, calf), roof, and other words ending in -f or -ff simply add -s to denote a plural.
What’s the origin of the word “roof”?
Roof (n.) etymologically is tied to the Germanic languages, almost exclusively, “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].” (etymonline.com: roof). Likewise, it’s similar sounding counterpart words have Germanic roots.
What’s a roof?
A roof is defined as the “outer upper covering of a house or other building.” Or, according to Wikipedia, a roof is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temperature, and wind.
Examples of “roof” used in context
2. This cake is so dry that it sticks to the roof of your mouth (= upper surface of the mouth).
Examples of “roofs” used in context:
1. He could see the clear starry sky between the dark roofs of two penthouses.
2. The houses are built of clay with (generally) flat roofs impervious to fire.
3. Moonlight spilled over triangular roofs into grassy front yards.
Read about other plural nouns
- What’s the plural of bison?
- What’s the plural of moose?
- What’s the plural of sheep?
- What’s the plural of ox?
- What’s the plural of cactus?
- What’s the plural of crisis?
- What’s the plural of hypothesis?
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