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riffle. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
riffle, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
riffle in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
riffle you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Possible alteration of ruffle, from Middle English ruffelen, akin to Low German ruffelen (“to crumple”).
Noun
riffle (plural riffles)
- A swift, shallow part of a stream causing broken water.
1903, James Alexander Henshall, Bass, Pike, Perch and other Game Fishes of America:They then proceeded below the milldam, where there was a strong riffle, with likely looking pools and eddies
2017, Bill Barich, “On the Glories of Autumn”, in California Fly Fisher:The big trout feed aggressively and tend to lose their caution in the rifles.
2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, page 43:[...] Brook Drain has now been diverted into a newly dug replacement river section [...]. It has been designed in conjunction with the Environment Agency to hold a much larger volume of water, in order to help with local flooding issues. It also features riffles (shallow sections of water) and side pools where aquatic wildlife can take shelter during storms.
- A succession of small waves.
- (mining) A trough or sluice having cleats, grooves, or steps across the bottom for holding quicksilver and catching particles of gold when auriferous earth is washed. Also one of the cleats, grooves or steps in such trough.
- A quick skim through the pages of a book.
- The act of shuffling cards; the sound made while shuffling cards.
Hyponyms
Related terms
Translations
swift, shallow part of a stream causing broken water
succession of small waves
mining: trough or sluice, or the cleats or grooves in it
quick skim through the pages of a book
act of shuffling playing cards
Verb
riffle (third-person singular simple present riffles, present participle riffling, simple past and past participle riffled)
- (intransitive) To flow over a swift, shallow part of a stream.
- (transitive) To ruffle with a rippling action.
- (intransitive) To skim or flick through the pages of a book.
- (transitive) To leaf through rapidly.
- (transitive) To shuffle playing cards by separating the deck in two and sliding the thumbs along the edges of the cards to mix the two parts.
- (transitive) To idly manipulate objects with the fingers.
- (transitive) To prepare samples of material using a riffler.
Etymology 2
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Danish (“a groove”)
Noun
riffle (plural riffles)
- In seal engraving, a small metal disc at the end of a tool.
Derived terms
Anagrams
German
Verb
riffle
- inflection of riffeln:
- first-person singular present
- first/third-person singular subjunctive I
- singular imperative