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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
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rifleEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
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.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rifleEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
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.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
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Chambers (1908)
1908- RifleEnglish · e-38699-6588
Rifle, rī′fl, v.t. to carry off by force: to strip, to rob: to whet, as a scythe.—n. Rī′fler. [O. Fr. rifler—Scand., Ice. hrífa, to seize.]
Read the full source record → - RifleEnglish · e-38699-6589
Rifle, rī′fl, v.t. to groove spirally, as a gun-barrel.—n. a musket with a barrel spirally grooved—many varieties, the Enfield, Minié, Martini-Henry, Chassepot, Mannlicher-repeating, Remington, Lee-Metford, &c.—ns. Rī′fl
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