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rifler

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Etymology and origin of the French word rifler

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1170 Livre des Rois More words from the 12th century
Borrowed from
Old High German riffilōn
Ultimate origin
Old High German riffilōn

Forms

rifler[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Old High German riffilōn (“to tear by rubbing”).[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary takes it from Proto-West Germanic *rīfilōn, through either Frankish or Old High German, and compares Old English geriflian (“to wrinkle”) and Old Norse rifa (“to tear, break”).[1] Meyer-Lübke lists it under Middle High German riffeln (“to hackle”), beside southern French forms meaning “to scratch, to plane”.[6] Littré saw in it another form of rafler.[7]

The technical sense “to file, to plane” is probably due to the influence of riflard and rifloir.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1170 in the Livre des Rois, meaning “to scratch, graze lightly”: the priests of Baal riflerent la charn jesque il furent sanglenz “scratched their flesh until they were bloody”.[2][7][8]

Semantic evolution

In Old and Middle French the verb meant to scratch, scrape or graze, and also to plunder and rob;[9][7][10] about 1213 the Fet des Romains uses it for “to brush against”.[4] Froissart writes that the whole open country estoit rifflé “was plundered”.[7] Godefroy also records the sense “to fight fiercely”.[11] In Anglo-Norman it meant to scratch and to rob or despoil, and it passed into Middle English as riflen “to plunder”, the source of the English verb rifle.[9][12]

In modern French the old senses “to scratch, flay”, “to whip” and “to plunder” are dated.[2][1] The living use is technical: to plane wood or file metal with a riflard or a rifloir, recorded from 1765 in the Encyclopédie;[2][13] the GLLF dates this sense to Boiste in 1819.[4][14]

Timeline

  • c. 1170 – Rifler “to scratch lightly” appears in the Livre des Rois.[2][4]
  • c. 1213 – The Fet des Romains uses it for “to graze, brush against”.[4]
  • Early 14th century – English borrows it as riflen “to plunder”.[12]
  • 16th century – Rifloir, a kind of file, is first recorded.[2]
  • 1765 – The Encyclopédie records the technical sense “to file, to plane”.[2][13]
  • 1819 – Boiste records the technical sense.[4][14]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (technical) To plane wood or file metal with a riflard or a rifloir.[13][2][7]
  2. (dated) To scratch, graze or flay; by extension, to whip.[2][7][1]
  3. (dated) To plunder, to steal.[2][7]

Word family

  • rifloir
  • riflard
  • rafler
  • Old High German riffilōn
  • English rifle

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 710b
  6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
  9. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
  11. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
  12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  13. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  14. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

  • attifer · also from Old High German
  • quille · also from Old High German
  • hutte · also from Old High German
  • saisir · also from Old High German
Cite this entry

“Rifler.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/rifler. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·