ripple

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See also: Ripple

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈɹɪp(ə)l/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪpəl

Etymology 1

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From an alteration of rimple.

Noun

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ripple (plural ripples)

  1. A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid.
    I dropped a small stone into the pond and watched the ripples spread.
    The ebbing tide had left ripples in the sand.
    • 2009, Helen Oon, “New Territories”, in Hong Kong (Globetrotters Travel Guide)‎[1], 1st edition, New Holland Publishers, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 80:
      Ripples in the water betray the presence of the fish waiting for a chance to pounce on the insects skirting over the water.
  2. A sound similar to that of undulating water.
  3. A style of ice cream in which flavors have been coarsely blended together.
    I enjoy fudge ripple ice cream, but I especially like to dig through the carton to get at the ripple part and eat only that.
  4. (electronics) A small oscillation of an otherwise steady signal.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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ripple (third-person singular simple present ripples, present participle rippling, simple past and past participle rippled)

  1. (intransitive) To move like the undulating surface of a body of water; to undulate.
  2. (intransitive) To propagate like a moving wave.
    • 2008, Bradley Simpson, Economists with Guns, page 65:
      These problems were complicated by a foreign exchange crunch which rippled through the economy in 1961-1962, […]
  3. (intransitive) To make a sound as of water running gently over a rough bottom, or the breaking of ripples on the shore.
  4. (transitive) To shape into a series of ripples.
  5. (transitive) To launch or unleash in rapid succession.
    • 2019, Jason M. Hardy, Phaedra M. Weldon, Herbert A. Beas II, BattleTech: Weapons Free: BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 3:
      Hearns' 'Mech rippled fifteen missiles. Austen watched the missiles go in. They smashed into a copse of trees, smashing the trunks aside.
Translations
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to move like the undulating surface of a body of water

Etymology 2

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From Middle English *ripelen, repulen, equivalent to rip +‎ -le (frequentative suffix).

Verb

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ripple (third-person singular simple present ripples, present participle rippling, simple past and past participle rippled)

  1. (transitive) To scratch, tear, or break slightly; graze
    • 1609, Ammianus Marcellinus, translated by Philemon Holland, The Roman Historie, […], London: […] Adam Jslip, →OCLC:
      An horsemans javelin […] having slightly rippled the skinne of his left arme, pierced within his short ribs.

References

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Etymology 3

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Compare German Low German Repel, Dutch repel, German Riffel, extended forms (with instrumental or diminutive -le) of Low German Repe (“ripple”), Dutch repe (“ripple”). Compare also Dutch repen, German reffen, Swedish repa (“to beat; ripple”).

The verb is from Middle English ripplen, rypelen. Compare Low German repelen, Dutch repelen, German riffeln.

Alternative forms

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Noun

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Ripple

ripple (plural ripples)

  1. (textiles) An implement, with teeth like those of a comb, for removing the seeds and seed vessels from flax, broom corn, etc.
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Translations
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Verb

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ripple (third-person singular simple present ripples, present participle rippling, simple past and past participle rippled)

  1. To remove the seeds from (the stalks of flax, etc.), by means of a ripple.

Anagrams

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