Where does “rifle” come from?
Rifle comes from Old French rifler, from Old Dutch riffilōn, from Proto-Germanic rīfaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (e)reip-, meaning to scratch or scrape.
rifle (English): A shouldered firearm with a long, rifled barrel...
Definitions
- A shouldered firearm with a long, rifled barrel...
Ancestry of “rifle”, step by step
rifle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French rifler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | rifler | to scrape off, tear off, flay; to plane, shave;... |
| 2 | German | riffeln | to groove; to ripple |
| 3 | German | riffilōn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rīfaną | to tear, rend |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | rēy- | thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,... |
via Middle English riflen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | riflen | — |