rifle

Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English, from Old French rifler (“to scrape off, plunder”), from Old Dutch *riffilōn (compare archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English geriflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹaɪfəl/

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rifle (plural rifles)

1. A long firearm firing a single projectile, usually with a rifled barrel to improve accuracy.
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict‎:

     Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.

   • 1995, Klein, Richard, “Introduction”, in Cigarettes are sublime, Paperback edition, Durham: Duke University Press, published 1993, →ISBN, OCLC 613939086, page 8:

     In the June days of 1848 Baudelaire reports seeing revolutionaries (he might have been one of them) going through the streets of Paris with rifles, shooting all the clocks.

2. A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.

• automatic rifle
• sniper rifle
• rifled slug
• rifling

rifle (third-person singular simple present rifles, present participle rifling, simple past and past participle rifled)

1. To search with intent to steal; to ransack, pillage or plunder.
2. To scan many items (especially papers) in a set, quickly. (See also riffle)

   She made a mess when she rifled through the stack of papers, looking for the title document.

3. To add a spiral to the interior of a gun bore to make a fired bullet spin in flight to improve range and accuracy.
4. To strike something with great power.
   • 2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC‎:

     Davies's cross was headed away from danger by Robert Huth, only for Baird to take the ball in his stride and rifle his right-footed effort towards the corner from the edge of the box.

5. to begin movement at great speed
   • 2014: Lights of Summer: The Run for Glory by Alexander Rebelle

     The ball rifled off the bat.

   • 2011 Fighting for Gold: The Story of Canada's Sledge Hockey Paralympic Gold by Lorna Schultz Schultz Nicholson

     But a Norwegian player rifled off a point shot that sailed into the back of the net.

6. (intransitive) To commit robbery.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)

7. (transitive) To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.
   • Shakespeare

     Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: / If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you.

8. To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.
   • Alexander Pope

     Time shall rifle every youthful grace.

9. To raffle.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Webster to this entry?)

• Filer, Friel, filer, flier, lifer

rifle m (plural rifles)

1. rifle

From American English rifle (19th century).

• IPA^(key): /ʁifl/

rifle m (plural rifles)

1. rifle (carabine)

• .22 Long Rifle

rifle

1. first-person singular present indicative of rifler
2. third-person singular present indicative of rifler
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
5. second-person singular imperative of rifler

• “rifle” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• filer

Apparently from Middle Low German or Low German riffel, but compare Danish riffel.

rifle f or m (definite singular rifla or riflen, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)

1. (firearm) a rifle

• jaktrifle

• “rifle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

As above.

rifle f (definite singular rifla, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)

1. (firearm) a rifle

• jaktrifle

• “rifle” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• refle

From English rifle, from Middle English, from Old French rifler (“to scrape off, plunder”), from Old Low Franconian Old Dutch *rifillon, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną.

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʁi.fli/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈhi.fle/

rifle m (plural rifles)

1. rifle

   Synonyms: escopeta, espingarda, fuzil, refle

Borrowed from English rifle.

rifle m (plural rifles)

1. rifle

   Synonym: fusil