Enroll

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈɹəʊl/

Definitions

1. To register oneself for a class or program while becoming an official member of a group and having one's name included on a list for admission or participation
2. To sign up for an educational course or program, join a particular organization officially, and ensure one's name appears on a relevant list for involvement
3. To formally sign up and become part of an institution or activity by having one’s details recorded by the responsible authority

Etymology: "Enroll" comes to English from Anglo-Norman, the form of French spoken in England after 1066, where "enroller" meant to write something on a roll. A roll was a long parchment scroll, and to enter a name on one was to put it on the official record. That is the heart of the word: the idea of being written down by an authority, rather than simply joining something. The word is built from "en-", a prefix meaning "in" or "into", and "roll", which came from Old French "rolle" and ultimately from Latin "rotulus", a little wheel or scroll. The same wheel-shaped Latin root gave us "role", the part an actor rolls up in a script, and "rotary", which is nothing but a turning wheel.

Synonyms: register, sign up

Antonyms: withdraw, drop out