Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗verb
Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventoryTo quickly search through many items (such as papers, the contents of a drawer, a pile of clothing). · To commit robbery or theft. · To search with intent to steal. · To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.
Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English riflen (“to rob, plunder, search through”), from Old French rifler (“to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder”), from Old High German riffilōn (compare German riffeln (“to score, make grooves in, ripple”), archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English rifelan, riflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Derivation mentionriflenenm · to rob, plunder, search through
- Derivation mentionriflerfro · to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder
- Derivation mentionriffilōngoh
- Cognate mentionriffelnde · to score, make grooves in, ripple
- Cognate mentionrijfelennl · to scrape
- Cognate mentionrifelanang
- Derivation mention*rīfanągem-pro
- Cognate mentionrífanon · to tear, break
This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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"2": "fro",
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"t": "to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder"
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"expansion": "Old High German riffilōn"
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"t": "to score, make grooves in, ripple"
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"t": "to scrape"
},
"expansion": "Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”)"
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"expansion": "Old English rifelan"
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"t": "to tear, break"
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"expansion": "Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)"
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"*rīfaną",
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"rive",
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"pos": "verb",
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"To quickly search through many items (such as papers, the contents of a drawer, a pile of clothing).",
"To commit robbery or theft.",
"To search with intent to steal.",
"To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage."
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