Ro"ta (?), n. (Mus.) A
species of zither, played like a guitar, used in the Middle Ages in
church music; -- written also rotta.
||Ro"ta (?), n. [L. rota wheel.
The name is said to allude to the design of the floor of the room in
which the court used to sit, which was that of a wheel. See
Rotary.] 1. An ecclesiastical court of
Rome, called also Rota Romana, that takes cognizance of suits
by appeal. It consists of twelve members.
2. (Eng. Hist.) A short-lived political
club established in 1659 by J.Harrington to inculcate the democratic
doctrine of election of the principal officers of the state by ballot,
and the annual retirement of a portion of Parliament.