lieu vs role

lieu and role both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
lieu	Yes	No	No	No
role	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, role is a hypernym of lieu; that is, role is a word with a broader meaning than lieu:

lieu: the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another
role: the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group

Other hypernyms of lieu include function, office, part.

lieu (noun)	role (noun)
the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another	the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
	normal or customary activity of a person in a particular social setting
	what something is used for
	an actor's portrayal of someone in a play