1、-rama noun suffix meaning “spectacular display or instance of,“ 1824, abstracted from panorama, ultimately from Gk. horama “sight.“ R In a circle, meaning “registered (trademark),“ first incorporated in U.S. statues 1946. Three Rs (1825) said to have been given as a toast by Sir W. Curtis (1752-1829
2、). R R in M.E. also as a title prefixed to personal names), from L.L. rabbi, from Gk. rhabbi, from Mishnaic Heb. rabbi “my master,“ from rabh “master, great one,“ title of respect for Jewish doctors of law + -i, first person sing. pronominal suffix. From Sem. root r-b-b “to be great or numerous“ (cf
3、. robh “multitude;“ Arabic rabba “was great,“ rabb “master“). The -n- in rabbinical (1622) is via Fr. form rabbin, from M.L. rabbinus (cf. It. rabbino, Sp., Port. rabino), perhaps from a presumed plural of the Heb. word. rabbit 1398, “young of the cony,“ from Fr. dialect (cf. Walloon robte), dim. of
4、 Flem. or M.Du. robbe “rabbit,“ of unknown origin. The adult was a cony (q.v.) until 18c. “Zoologically speaking, there are no native rabbits in the United States; they are all hares. But the early colonists, for some unknown reason, dropped the word hare out of their vocabulary, and it is rarely he
5、ard in American speech to this day. When it appears it is almost always applied to the so-called Belgian hare, which, curiously enough, is not a hare at all, but a true rabbit.“ H.L. MenckenRabbit punch “chop on the back of the neck“ so called from resemblance to a gamekeepers method of dispatching
6、an injured rabbit. Rabbits foot “good luck charm“ first attested 1879, in U.S. Southern black culture. Pulling rabbits from a hat as a conjurers trick is first recorded 1877. rabble c.1300, “pack of animals,“ possibly related to M.E. rabeln “speak in a rapid, confused manner,“ probably imitative of
7、hurry and confusion (cf. M.Du. rabbelen, Low Ger. rabbeln “to chatter“). Meaning “tumultuous crowd of people“ is first recorded 1513; applied contemptuously to the common or low part of any populace from 1553. Rabble-rousing first attested 1802 in Sydney Smith. Rabelaisian 1817, from Franois Rabelai
8、s (c.1490-1553), whose writings “are distinguished by exuberance of imagination and language combined with extravagance and coarseness of humor and satire.“ OED rabid 1611, “furious, raving,“ from L. rabidus, from rabere “be mad, rave“ (see rage). Meaning “made mad by rabies“ first recorded 1804. ra
9、bies 1598, from L. rabies “madness, rage, fury,“ related to rabere “be mad, rave“ (see rage). Sense of “madness in dogs“ was a secondary meaning in L. raccoon 1608, arocoun, from Algonquian (Powhatan) arahkun, from arahkunem “he scratches with the hands.“ Early forms included Capt. John Smiths raugr
10、oughcum. In Norw., vaskebjrn, lit. “wash-bear.“ race (1) “act of running,“ c.1300, from O.N. ras “running, rush (of water),“ cognate with O.E. rs, which became M.E. resen “attack, incursion,“ but did not survive into Mod.Eng. Both O.N. and O.E. are from P.Gmc. *rs- (cf. M.Du. rasen “to rave, rage,“
11、Ger. rasen). Originally a northern word, it became general in Eng. c.1550. Meaning “contest of speed“ first recorded 1513 (the verb in this sense is from 1672). Race-horse is from 1626. Meaning “strong current of water“ is from 1375, possibly influenced by O.Fr. raz, which had a similar meaning, and
12、 is probably from Breton raz “a strait, narrow channel;“ this Fr. source also may have given race its meaning of “channel of a stream“ (especially an artificial one to a mill), recorded from 1565. The verb, in ref. to an engine, is from 1862. race (2) “people of common descent,“ c.1500, from M.Fr. r
13、azza “race, breed, lineage,“ possibly from It. razza, of unknown origin (cf. Sp., Port. raza). Original senses in Eng. included “wines with characteristic flavor“ (1520), “group of people with common occupation“ (c.1500), and “generation“ (c.1560). Meaning “tribe, nation, or people regarded as of co
14、mmon stock“ is from c.1600. Modern meaning of “one of the great divisions of mankind based on physical peculiarities“ is from 1774 (though even among anthropologists there never has been an accepted classification of these). Klein suggests these derive from Arabic ras “head, beginning, origin“ (cf.
15、Heb. rosh). O.E. eode meant both “race“ and “language;“ as a verb, geeodan, it meant “to unite, to join.“ Racial is first attested 1862. Race-riot attested from 1890. “Just being a Negro doesnt qualify you to understand the race situation any more than being sick makes you an expert on medicine.“ Di
16、ck Gregory, 1964Rachel fem. proper name, biblical daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob, from L.L., from Gk. Hrakhel, from Heb. Rahel, lit. “ewe“ (cf. Arabic rahil, Aramaic rahla). racist 1932 as a noun, 1938 as an adjective, from race (n.2); racism is first attested 1936 (from Fr. racisme, 1935), origin
17、ally in the context of Nazi theories. But they replaced earlier words, racialism (1907) and racialist (1917), both often used at first in a British or South African context. rack (1) “frame with bars,“ c.1305, possibly from M.Du. rec “framework,“ related to recken “stretch out,“ cognate with O.E. re
18、ccan “to stretch out,“ from P.Gmc. *rakjanan (cf. O.N. rekja, O.Fris. reza, O.H.G. recchen, Ger. recken, Goth. uf-rakjan “to stretch out“). The verb meaning “to sleep“ is teen-ager slang from 1960s (rack was Navy slang for “bed“ in 1940s). Meaning “instrument of torture“ first recorded c.1460 (verb
19、meaning “to torture on the rack“ is from 1433), perhaps from Ger. rackbank, originally an implement for stretching leather, etc. Fig. sense of “agony“ is from 1591. Mechanical meaning “toothed bar“ is from 1797 (see pinion). Meaning “set of antlers“ is first attested 1945, Amer.Eng.; hence slang sen
20、se of “a womans breasts“ (especially if large), c.1980s. Off the rack in ref. to clothing is from 1962. Rack up “register accumulate, achieve“ is first attested 1961, probably from method of keeping score in pool halls. rack (2) “gait of a horse,“ 1530 (implied in racking), perhaps from Fr. racquass
21、ure “racking of a horse in his pace,“ of unknown origin. Or perhaps a variant of rock (v.1). rack (3) “clouds driven before the wind,“ c.1300, also “rush of wind, collision, crash,“ possibly from O.E. racu “cloud,“ reinforced by O.N. rek “wreckage, jetsam,“ or by influence of O.E. wrc “something dri
22、ven.“ Originally a northern word, perhaps from an unrecorded Scand. cognate of O.E. racu. Often confused with wrack (q.v.), especially in phrase rack and ruin (1599). The distinction is that rack is “driven clouds;“ wrack is “seaweed cast up on shore.“ racket (1) “loud noise,“ 1565, said to be imita
23、tive. Meaning “dishonest activity“ (1785) is perhaps from racquet, via notion of “game,“ reinforced by rack-rent “extortionate rent“ (1591), from rack (1). Racketeer (v. and n.) first recorded 1928. racket (2) “bat used in tennis, etc.,“ see racquet. raconteur 1828, from Fr. raconter “to recount,“ f
24、rom re- + O.Fr. aconter, from a- “to“ + conter “to tell“ (see recount). racquet c.1500, “device used in tennis, etc.,“ probably originally “tennis-like game played with open hand“ (c.1385), from Fr. requette “racket, palm of the hand,“ perhaps via It. racchetta or Sp. raqueta, both from Arabic rahat
25、, a form of raha “palm of the hand.“ Racquetball first recorded 1972. racy 1654, “having a characteristic taste“ (of wines, fruits, etc.), from race (2); meaning “having a quality of vigor“ (1667) led to that of “improper, risqu,“ first recorded 1901, probably reinforced by phrase racy of the soil “
26、earthy“ (1870). rad “x-ray dose unit,“ 1918, shortened form of radiation (q.v.). As shortened form of radical (n.), it is attested in political slang from 1820. Teen slang sense of “extraordinary, wonderful“ is from late 1970s (see radical). radar 1941, acronym (more or less) for radio detecting and
27、 ranging. The U.S. choice, it won out over British radiolocation. radial (adj.) 1570, from M.L. radialis, from L. radius “beam of light“ (see radius). As a type of tire, attested from 1965, short for radial-ply (tire). radiant c.1450, from M.Fr. radiant, from L. radiantem (nom. radians) “shining,“ p
28、rp. of radiare “to beam, shine“ (see radiation). Of beauty, etc., first attested 1509. Radiance is 1601, from M.L. radiantia “brightness,“ from radiare. The verb radiate is attested from 1619. radiation 1555, from L. radiationem (nom. radiatio) “a shining, radiation,“ noun of action from radiare “to
29、 beam, shine,“ from radius “beam of light“ (see radius). radiator 1836, “any thing that radiates,“ from radiate (see radiant) + agent suffix -or. Meaning “heater“ is from 1851; sense of “cooling device in internal combustion engine“ is 1900. radical 1398 (adj.), in a medieval philosophical sense, fr
30、om L.L. radicalis “of or having roots,“ from L. radix (gen. radicis) “root“ (see radish). Meaning “going to the origin, essential“ is from 1651. Political sense of “reformist“ (via notion of “change from the roots“) is first recorded 1802 (n.), 1820 (adj.), of the extreme section of the British Libe
31、ral party (radical reform had been a current phrase since 1786); meaning “unconventional“ is from 1921. U.S. youth slang use is from 1983, from 1970s surfer slang meaning “at the limits of control.“ Radical chic is attested from 1970. radio “wireless transmission with radio waves,“ 1907, abstracted
32、from earlier combinations such as radiophone (1881) and radio-telegraphy (1898), from radio-, comb. form of radiation (q.v.). Use for “radio receiver“ is first attested 1917; sense of “sound broadcasting as a medium“ is from 1922. Wireless remained more widespread until World War II, when military p
33、reference for radio turned the tables. The verb is attested from 1919. radio-carbon 1940, from radio- (see radio) + carbon. Radio-carbon dating is attested from 1949. radioactive 1898, from Fr. radio-actif, coined by Pierre and Marie Curie from radio-, comb. form of L. radius (see radiation) + actif
34、 (fem. active) “active.“ radiolarian 1876, from Radiolaria, Mod.L. class name, from radiolus, dim. of radius (q.v.). radiology “medical use of X-rays,“ 1900, from radio- (see radio) + Gk.-based scientific suffix -logy “study of.“ radish late O.E. rdic, from L. radicem, acc. of radix “root,“ from PIE
35、 base *wrad- “twig, root“ (cf. Gk. rhiza, Lesbian brisda “root;“ Gk. hradamnos “branch;“ Goth. waurts, O.E. wyrt, Welsh gwridd, O.Ir. fren “root“). radium “radioactive metallic element,“ 1899, from Fr. radium (P. Curie et al., 1898), formed in Mod.L. from L. radius “ray“ (see radius); so called for
36、its power of emitting energy in the form of rays. radius 1597, “cross-shaft,“ from L. radius “staff, spoke of a wheel, beam of light,“ of unknown origin. Perhaps related to radix “root,“ but Tucker suggests connection to Skt. vardhate “rises, makes grow,“ via root *neredh- “rise, out, extend forth;“
37、 or else Gk. ardis “sharp point.“ The geometric sense first recorded 1611. Plural is radii. Meaning “circular area of defined distance around some place“ is attested from 1953. Meaning “shorter bone of the forearm“ is from 1615 in Eng.; it was used thus by Roman writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus (1c.).
38、radon heaviest gaseous element, 1918, from Ger. Radon (C. Schmidt, 1918), from radium (q.v.) + -on suffix of inert gases (neon, argon, etc.). The element is formed by radioactive decay of radium. raffia 1729, rofia, from Malagasy rafia. Modern form is attested from 1882; also raphia (1866). raffish
39、“disreputable, vulgar,“ 1801 (first attested in Jane Austen), from raff “people,“ usually of a lower sort (1673), probably from rif and raf (1338) “everyone,“ via Fr. or M.Du., ultimately also probably related to Swed. rafs “rubbish“ (see riffraff). raffle c.1386, from O.Fr. rafle “dice game,“ also
40、“plundering,“ perhaps from a Gmc. source (cf. M.Du. raffel “dice game,“ O.Fris. hreppa “to move,“ O.N. hreppa “to reach, get,“ Ger. raffen “to snatch away, sweep off“), from P.Gmc. *khrap- “to pluck out, snatch off.“ The notion would be “to sweep up (the stakes), to snatch (the winnings).“ Dietz con
41、nects the O.Fr. word with the Gmc. root, but OED is against this. Meaning “sale of chances“ first recorded 1766. rafflesia genus of Malaysian plants, 1820, named for Sir T. Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), British governor of Sumatra, who introduced it to the West. He reports the native name was petimu
42、m sikinlili “Devils betel-box.“ raft (1) “floating platform,“ 1497, originally “rafter“ (c.1420), from O.N. raptr “log“ (O.N. -pt- pronounced as -ft-), related to M.L.G. rafter, rachter “rafter.“ raft (2) “large collection,“ 1830, variant of raff “heap, large amount,“ from M.E. raf (see raffish, rif
43、fraff); form and sense associated with raft (1). rafter “sloping timber of a roof,“ O.E. rftras (W.Saxon), reftras (Mercian), both plural, related to O.N. raptr (see raft (1), from P.Gmc. *raf-. rag (n.) c.1310, probably from O.N. rogg “shaggy tuft,“ earlier raggw-, or possibly from O.Dan. rag (see
44、rug), or a back-formation from ragged (c.1300), which is from O.N. raggar “shaggy,“ via O.E. raggig “rag-like.“ It also may represent an unrecorded O.E. cognate of O.N. rogg. As an insulting term for “newspaper, magazine“ it dates from 1734; slang for “tampon, sanitary napkin“ is attested from 1930s
45、. Rags “personal clothing“ is from 1855, Amer.Eng. Rags-to-riches “rise from poverty to wealth“ is attested from 1947. Ragtop “convertible car“ is from 1955. Raghead, insulting term for “South Asian or Middle Eastern person,“ first attested 1921. rag (v.) “scold,“ 1739, of unknown origin; perhaps re
46、lated to Dan. dialectal rag “grudge.“ rag-bag 1820, from rag (n.) + bag. Fig. sense of “motley collection“ is first recorded 1864. raga 1788, from Skt. raga-s “harmony, melody, mode in music,“ lit. “color, mood,“ related to rajyati “it is dyed.“ ragamuffin 1344, from M.E. raggi “ragged“ + fanciful e
47、nding (or else second element is M.Du. muffe “mitten“). Ragged was used of the devil from c.1300 in ref. to “shaggy“ appearance. Used by Langland as the name of a demon (cf. O.Fr. Ragamoffyn, name of a demon in a mystery play); sense of “dirty, disreputable boy“ is from 1581. rage (n.) 1297, from O.
48、Fr. raige (11c.), from M.L. rabia, from L. rabies “madness, rage, fury,“ related to rabere “be mad, rave.“ Related to rabies, of which this is the original sense. Similarly, Welsh (cynddaredd) and Breton (kounnar) words for “rage, fury“ originally meant “hydrophobia“ and are compounds based on the w
49、ord for “dog“ (Welsh ci, plural cwn; Breton ki). The verb is c.1250, originally “to play, romp;“ meaning “be furious“ first recorded c.1300. The rage “fashion, vogue“ dates from 1785. ragged “rough, shaggy,“ c.1300, from rag (n.), but earliest use is not directly from the main sense of that word and may reflect a broader, older meaning. Of clothes, c.1325; of persons, c.1375. Raggedy Ann doll first attested 1918. Ragnarok in Norse mythology, the last battle of the world, in which gods and men will be destroyed by monsters and darkness, 1770, from O.N. ragna, gen. of
