Where does “rifle” come from?

rifle (American English) comes from Old French rifler, from German riffeln, from German riffilōn, from Proto-Germanic rīfaną, from Proto-Indo-European rēy- — thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,...

rifle (American English): A shouldered firearm with a long, rifled barrel...

Definitions

  1. A shouldered firearm with a long, rifled barrel...

Ancestry of “rifle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchriflerto scrape off, tear off, flay; to plane, shave;...
2Germanriffelnto groove; to ripple
3Germanriffilōn—
4Proto-Germanicrīfanąto tear, rend
5Proto-Indo-Europeanrēy-thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European rēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rīfaną →Every word from German riffilōn →