a city in southwestern Virginia
"After visiting the historic mountains, we drove to Roanoke to explore its downtown area before heading home."
White beads of low value made from shells, formerly used for ornaments and currency by Native Americans of colonial Virginia.
"The trader bartered a sack of roanoke to the chief in exchange for furs."
In plain English: Roanoke is an old name for a group of people who lived on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina before they disappeared from history.
"The river flows peacefully through the historic town of Roanoke in North Carolina."
Usage: Do not confuse this term with the modern proper noun referring to the lost colony; here it specifically denotes a type of shell bead used as trade currency in early American history. This usage is now archaic and rarely appears outside of historical or archaeological contexts.
A placename:
"The ancient city of Roanoke was a significant trading hub during the colonial era."
Ellipsis of Roanoke Colony; a failed late 16th century English colony on what is now the coast of North Carolina.
"The mysterious disappearance of the people from Roanoke remains one of America's most enduring historical puzzles."
The word roanoke was borrowed from the Powhatan language, where it originally meant "things rubbed smooth by hand." This term traveled into English to name the Roanoke River and later the famous lost colony.