rifle
English
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/FR8-01.jpg/200px-FR8-01.jpg)
Etymology
Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English, from Old French rifler (“to scrape off, plunder”), from Old Dutch *riffilōn (compare archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English geriflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive.
Pronunciation
Noun
rifle (plural rifles)
- (weaponry) A shouldered firearm with a long, rifled barrel to improve range and accuracy.
- 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict[1]:
- Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.
- 1995, Richard Klein, “Introduction”, in Cigarettes are sublime, Paperback edition, Durham: Duke University Press, published 1993, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 8:
- In the June days of 1848 Baudelaire reports seeing revolutionaries (he might have been one of them) going through the streets of Paris with rifles, shooting all the clocks.
- (military, usually in the plural, dated) A rifleman.
- (weaponry) An artillery piece with a rifled barrel.
- A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.
Derived terms
Translations
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Verb
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- (intransitive) To quickly search through many items (such as papers, the contents of a drawer, a pile of clothing). (See also riffle[2])
- She made a mess when she rifled through the stack of papers, looking for the title document.
- (intransitive) To commit robbery or theft.
- 1566, Thomas Harman, A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors:
- Thither repair at accustomed times their harlots […] not with empty hands, for they be as skilful in picking, rifling, and filching as the upright men.
- (transitive) To search with intent to steal; to ransack, pillage or plunder.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)
- (transitive) To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: / If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- (transitive) To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.
- (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Time shall rifle every youthful grace.
- (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- (transitive) To add a spiral groove to a gun bore to make a fired bullet spin in flight in order to improve range and accuracy.
- (transitive) To cause (a projectile, as a rifle bullet) to travel in a flat ballistic trajectory.
- 2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC[3]:
- Davies's cross was headed away from danger by Robert Huth, only for Baird to take the ball in his stride and rifle his right-footed effort towards the corner from the edge of the box.
- 2011 Fighting for Gold: The Story of Canada's Sledge Hockey Paralympic Gold by Lorna Schultz Schultz Nicholson
- But a Norwegian player rifled off a point shot that sailed into the back of the net.
- (intransitive) To move in a flat ballistic trajectory (as a rifle bullet).
- 2014: Lights of Summer: The Run for Glory by Alexander Rebelle
- The ball rifled off the bat.
- 2014: Lights of Summer: The Run for Glory by Alexander Rebelle
- (obsolete, transitive) To dispose of in a raffle.
- c. 1600, Thomas Dekker?, Lust's Dominion, volume 1:
- I have at one throw / Rifled away the diadem of Spain.
- (obsolete, intransitive) To engage in a raffle.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Webster to this entry?)
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)
- 1596, George Chapman, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria:
- We'll strike up a drum, set up a tent, call people together, put crowns apiece, let's rifle for her
Translations
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References
- “rifle”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “rifle”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
Catalan
Noun
rifle m (plural rifles)
French
Etymology
From Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 2 should be a valid language, etymology language or family code; the value "AE." is not valid. See WT:LOL, WT:LOL/E and WT:LOF. (19th century).
Pronunciation
Noun
rifle m (plural rifles)
Related terms
Verb
rifle
- first-person singular present indicative of rifler
- third-person singular present indicative of rifler
- first-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
- third-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
- second-person singular imperative of rifler
Further reading
- “rifle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
Apparently from Middle Low German or Low German riffel, but compare Danish riffel.
Noun
rifle f or m (definite singular rifla or riflen, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)
- (firearm) a rifle
Derived terms
References
- “rifle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
As above.
Noun
rifle f (definite singular rifla, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)
- (firearm) a rifle
Derived terms
References
- “rifle” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Etymology
From English rifle, from Middle English, from Old French rifler (“to scrape off, plunder”), from Old Low Franconian Old Dutch *rifillon, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Brazil" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈʁi.fli/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "South Brazil" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈhi.fle/
Noun
rifle m (plural s)
- rifle
- Synonyms: escopeta, espingarda, fuzil, refle
Spanish
Etymology
Noun
rifle m (plural rifles)
Derived terms
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Old Dutch
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Weapons
- English terms with quotations
- en:Military
- English dated terms
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English transitive verbs
- Requests for quotations/Bishop Hall
- Requests for date/Shakespeare
- Requests for date/Alexander Pope
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Requests for quotations/J. Webster
- Requests for quotations/Halliwell
- en:Firearms
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan nouns
- Catalan countable nouns
- Catalan masculine nouns
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French non-lemma forms
- French verb forms
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål feminine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns with multiple genders
- nb:Firearms
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk feminine nouns
- nn:Firearms
- Portuguese terms derived from English
- Portuguese terms derived from Middle English
- Portuguese terms derived from Old French
- Portuguese terms derived from Old Dutch
- Portuguese terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Portuguese 2-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- pt:Firearms
- Spanish terms borrowed from English
- Spanish terms derived from English
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish masculine nouns
- es:Firearms
- es:Weapons