Meaning

noun a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building

noun protective covering on top of a motor vehicle

noun the inner top surface of a covered area or hollow space

originFrom Middle English rofes, equivalent to roof + -s without voicing, first appearing in print in the 14th century. Displaced rooves as the standard plural in the early 17th century.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0