riffeln

German

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old High German riffilōn (“to ripple, remove seeds from flax”), derived from riffila (“ripple”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *ripilō, cognate with Dutch repel, English ripple.

The sense “to cut grooves into” is from unrelated (deprecated template usage) [etyl] German Low German rieveln, riffeln, frequentative of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German rīven (“to rake”). Compare German Riefe (“groove”), Dutch rijf (“rake”), (obsolete) rijffelen (“to scrape”), Old Norse hrīfa (“rake”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʁɪfəln/

Verb

1. to groove (provide with narrow, parallel channels)
2. to ripple (remove seeds from the stalks of flax by means of a comb)

Related terms

• Riefe
• Riffel