What is "to call the roll"

Roll \Roll\, n. [F. r[^o]le a roll (in sense 3), fr. L. rotulus ? little wheel, LL., a roll, dim. of L. rota a wheel. See Roll, v., and cf. R[^o]le, Rouleau, Roulette.]

1. The act of rolling, or state of being rolled; as, the roll of a ball; the roll of waves.

2. That which rolls; a roller. Specifically:

   1. A heavy cylinder used to break clods.
      --Mortimer.

   2. One of a set of revolving cylinders, or rollers, between which metal is pressed, formed, or smoothed, as in a rolling mill; as, to pass rails through the rolls.

3. That which is rolled up; as, a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc. Specifically:

   1. A document written on a piece of parchment, paper, or other materials which may be rolled up; a scroll.

      Busy angels spread The lasting roll, recording what we say.
      --Prior.

   2. Hence, an official or public document; a register; a record; also, a catalogue; a list.

      The rolls of Parliament, the entry of the petitions, answers, and transactions in Parliament, are extant.
      --Sir M. Hale.

      The roll and list of that army doth remain.
      --Sir J. Davies.

   3. A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form; as, a roll of carpeting; a roll of ribbon.

   4. A cylindrical twist of tobacco.

4. A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself.

5. (Naut.) The oscillating movement of a vessel from side to side, in sea way, as distinguished from the alternate rise and fall of bow and stern called pitching.

6. A heavy, reverberatory sound; as, the roll of cannon, or of thunder.

7. The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.

8. Part; office; duty; r[^o]le. [Obs.]
   --L'Estrange.

   Long roll (Mil.), a prolonged roll of the drums, as the signal of an attack by the enemy, and for the troops to arrange themselves in line.

   Master of the rolls. See under Master.

   Roll call, the act, or the time, of calling over a list names, as among soldiers.

   Rolls of court, of parliament (or of any public body), the parchments or rolls on which the acts and proceedings of that body are engrossed by the proper officer, and which constitute the records of such public body.

   To call the roll, to call off or recite a list or roll of names of persons belonging to an organization, in order to ascertain who are present or to obtain responses from those present.

   Syn: List; schedule; catalogue; register; inventory. See List.