English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
Login Flashcards

"R" Word Origins

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

“R” Word Origins

Ricks
Origin
From Rick + the patronymic suffix -s.
rickshaw
Japanese
Borrowed from Japanese jinrikisha, literally "human-powered vehicle," later shortened to rikisha and adapted into English as rickshaw.
Ricky
Origin
From Rick + -y.
ricochet
French
Borrowed from French ricochet; the word's ultimate origin before that is uncertain.
ricotta
Italian
From Italian ricotta, literally "recooked," because the cheese is made by cooking the leftover whey a second time.
rid
Old English
From Middle English ridden, meaning to clear away debris or obstructions, ultimately from Old English roots meaning "to clear."
riddance
Middle English
From an alteration of Middle English words for "clearing away," ultimately built from the verb rid plus the suffix -ance.
ridden
Origin
The past participle of "ride," extended in compounds like "guilt-ridden" and "disease-ridden" to mean plagued or dominated by something.
riddle
Old English
From Old English rædels, meaning "counsel" or "puzzle," related to rede ("advice") — the same root that gives us the phrase "read someone's mind."
riddled
Origin
The adjective form of the verb riddle, "to pierce with holes."
riddler
Origin
From riddle (\"to puzzle verbally\") plus the agent suffix -er.
ride
Old English
From Old English rīdan (\"to ride\"), an ancient Germanic verb shared with words like German reiten and Dutch rijden.
rider
Old English
From Old English rīdere (\"rider, knight\"), formed from ride plus the agent suffix -er.
ridge
Old English
From Old English hryċġ (\"back, spine, ridge\"), the same root that gives German Rücken (\"back\").
ridgeway
Origin
A compound of ridge and way.
ridiculable
Origin
From ridicule + -able.
ridicule
Latin
From French ridicule, from Latin rīdiculus (\"laughable\"), from ridere (\"to laugh\").
ridiculous
Latin
Borrowed from Latin rīdiculus (\"laughable\"); formed from ridicule plus -ous.
ridiculously
Origin
From ridiculous plus the adverb suffix -ly.
riding
Middle English
From Middle English rydyng, formed from ride plus -ing.
ridley
Origin
Unknown origin.
Rie
Origin
* Japanese りえ (Rie), a given name with numerous possible original kanji. * Danish Rie * Dutch Rie
Riesling
German
Borrowed from German Riesling, the name of the grape variety.
rife
Old English
From Old English rīfe (\"abundant, frequent\"), related to Dutch rijf (\"abundant\").
riff
Origin
Origin uncertain; possibly a shortened form of riffle, or an alteration of refrain.
riffian
Origin
From Rif + -ian.
riffle
Origin
Possible alteration of ruffle, from Middle English ruffelen, akin to Low German ruffelen (“to crumple”).
riffraff
Old French
From Old French rif et raf (\"one and all\"), combining words meaning \"to scrape off\" and \"to plunder\".
rifle
Old French
Originally short for "rifled gun", from Old French rifler (\"to scratch, scrape, plunder\").
rift
Middle English
From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin, related to Old Norse rífa (\"to tear\").
rig
Germanic
Origin uncertain, probably North Germanic; compare Norwegian rigge (\"to rig, equip\").
Riga
Origin
From Latvian Rīga, of disputed origin, possibly related to a river name or to a word for "threshing barn."
rigged
Origin
From rig plus the adjective/past-tense suffix -ed.
rigger
English
An agent noun from the verb rig "to fit out with ropes and sails", of uncertain earlier origin.
rigging
Middle English
From Middle English riggyng, formed from rig plus -ing.
Riggins
Origin
Unexplained, but possibly a variant of Higgins.
riggish
Origin
From rig (“a wanton girl”) + -ish.
right
Old English
From Old English riht, meaning both "straight" and "morally correct" — the two senses have stayed linked ever since.
right wing
French
From the seating in the French National Assembly after 1789, where supporters of the king and the established order sat to the president's right and radicals to the left.
righteous
Old English
From Old English rihtwīs, a blend of right and wise ("manner"), later reshaped to end in -eous like other moral adjectives.
righteousness
Old English
From Old English rihtwīsnes, formed from righteous plus -ness.
rightful
Old English
From Old English rihtfull, formed from right plus -ful.
rightfully
Origin
From rightful plus -ly.
rightfulness
Origin
From Middle English riȝtfulnesse, rigtfulnes, riȝtvolnesse, equivalent to rightful + -ness.
rightly
Old English
From Old English rihtlīċe, formed from right plus -ly.
rightness
Origin
From Middle English rightnesse, riȝtnesse, rihtnesse, from Old English rihtnes, rehtnis, from Proto-West Germanic *rehtanassī (“rightness, justice”), equivalent to right + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian rjochtens (“rightness”), Middle Dutch rechtenesse (“rightness, justification”), Old High German rehtnissa (“justice”).
righto
Origin
From right plus the informal suffix -o.
righty
Origin
From right plus the informal suffix -y.