Late Middle English (formerly also as inroll): from Old French enroller, from en- 'in' + rolle 'a roll' (names being originally written on a roll of parchment).

• roll from Middle English:

  Roll goes back ultimately to Latin rotula ‘little wheel’ and is related to an actor's part or role in a play or film, which entered English from French roule ‘roll’, referring to the roll of paper on which the part would originally have been written. Enrol (Late Middle English) originally referred to the names being written on the roll. If you roll with the punches (mid 20th century) you adapt yourself to difficult circumstances. The image here is of a boxer moving their body away from an opponent's blows so as to lessen the impact. A rolling stone is someone who does not settle in one place for long. The expression comes from the proverb which has been around in various languages from at least the 15th century, that a rolling stone gathers no moss. The Rolling Stones took their name not directly from the proverb but from a song by the US blues musician Muddy Waters.