"R" Word Origins

reb

Hebrew

From Yiddish reb, itself borrowed from Hebrew rav ("master, teacher").

rebar

Origin

A blend of "reinforcing" and "bar."

rebate

Old French

From Old French rabatre, related to abate — both trace to a root meaning "to beat down."

rebbe

Origin

Borrowed from Yiddish רבי (rebe). Doublet of rabbi.

Rebecca

Latin

The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).

Rebekah

Hebrew

From Hebrew רִבְקָה (Riḇqāh), meaning roughly "captivating" or "ensnaring beauty."

rebel

Latin

From Old French rebelle, from Latin rebellis ("waging war again"), from re- ("again") plus bellum ("war").

rebelling

Middle English

From Middle English rebellyng; equivalent to rebel + -ing.

rebellion

Latin

From Old French rebellion, from Latin rebelliō, from rebel plus -iō, matching the English suffix -ion.

rebellious

Middle English

From Middle English rebellious, built on rebel plus the adjective ending -ious.

rebirth

Origin

Formed from re- ("again") plus birth.

reboot

Origin

From re- ("again") plus boot, the computing term for starting up a machine.

reborn

Origin

From re- ("again") plus born.

rebound

Old French

From Old French rebondir, "to bounce back."

rebuff

Origin

From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer (compare French rebiffer (“to rise up, revolt”)), from Italian ribuffare.

rebuild

Origin

Formed from re- ("again") plus build.

rebuke

Old French

From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker ("to beat back, repel"), ultimately tied to an Old French word for striking or chopping wood.

rebus

Latin

From French rébus, probably from Latin rēbus ("by things"), though the exact link between the Latin phrase and the puzzle sense is uncertain.

rebut

Origin

Inherited from Middle English rebutten, rebouten, from Old French reboter, rebuter, rebouter, etc., from re- + boter, buter, bouter (“to butt”). Entered English around 1302-1307.

rebuttable

Origin

From rebut + -able.

rebuttal

Origin

Formed from the verb rebut plus the noun suffix -al.

rebutter

Origin

From rebut + -er.

recalcitrance

Origin

In use since at least 1856 (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, published 1985). From French récalcitrance.

recalcitrant

Latin

From Latin recalcitrare 'to kick back', from re- 'back' and calx, calcis 'heel' — originally used of mules kicking out against the rider.

recalibrate

Origin

From re- ("again") plus calibrate.

recall

Latin

From re- ("back") plus call, likely shaped by the Latin revocare and French rappeler.

recant

Latin · 1535

First recorded in 1535, from Latin recantare ("to sing back, to revoke"), from re- plus canto ("to sing").

recap

Origin

Shortened from recapitulate, itself from re- plus capitulate.

recapitate

Origin

Blend of re- + decapitate.

recapitulate

Origin

From Late Latin recapitulātus, past participle of recapitulāre (“to go over the main points of a thing again”), from re- (“again”) + capitulum (“head, main part, chapter”), from caput (“head”) + -ulum (diminutive suffix); see capitulate. By surface analysis, re- + capitulate.

recapitulation

Origin

From Anglo-Norman recapitulaciun et al., Middle French recapitulacion et al., or their source, from Late Latin recapitulatio (“summing up, summary”), from the participle stem of recapitulare (“recapitulate”), from re- + capitulum (“chapter, section”), diminutive of caput (“head”).

recapture

Origin

Formed from re- ("again") plus capture.

recast

Origin

Formed from re- ("again") plus cast.

recce

English

A clipped, informal shortening of reconnaissance, originating in British military slang and now general in film, events and outdoor work.

recede

Latin

From Middle French receder and Latin recedere ("to withdraw"), from re- plus cedere ("to go").

receipt

Latin

From Middle English receyt, via Anglo-Norman receite, ultimately from Latin receptus ("received"); a silent "p" was later added to match the Latin spelling.

receive

Latin

From Old French receivre and Latin recipere, from re- ("back") plus capio ("to take") — related to conceive, deceive, and perceive.

receiver

Anglo-Norman

From Anglo-Norman receivour, later reshaped as receive plus -er.

recent

Latin

Borrowed from Latin recens ("fresh, new").

recently

Origin

From recent plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Recep

Turkish

Borrowed from Turkish Recep.

recept

Origin

From Latin receptum (“thing received”), neuter singular of receptus, perfect passive participle of recipiō (“take back; receive”). Doublet of receipt. Coined by G.J. Romanes in 1888.

receptacle

Latin

From Latin receptaculum ("container, place of storage"), from recipere ("to receive").

receptacular

Origin

Compare French réceptaculaire.

reception

Latin

From Latin receptio ("act of receiving"), from recipio ("receive").

receptionist

Origin · 1901

Recorded since 1901, formed from reception plus -ist.

receptive

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin receptivus ("capable of receiving"), ultimately from Latin recipio ("to receive").

receptor

Latin

From Old French receptour or Latin receptorius, from recipio ("to receive").