Online Etymology Dictionary

-rama: noun suffix meaning "spectacular display or instance of," 1824, abstracted from panorama, ultimately from Gk. horama "sight."
-re: phonetic spelling change from -re to -er in words such as fibre, centre, theatre in U.S. began late 18c.; under urging of Noah Webster (1804 edition of his speller, and especially the 1806 dictionary), it was established over the next 25 years. The -re spelling, like -our, however, had the authority of Dr. Johnson's dictionary behind it and remained in Britain, where it came to be a point of national pride, contra the Yankees. Despite Webster's efforts, -re was retained in words with -c- or -g- (e.g. ogre, acre, the latter of which Webster insisted to the end of his days ought to be aker, and it was so printed in editions of the dictionary during his lifetime). The -re spelling generally is more justified by conservative etymology, based on Fr. antecedents. It is met today in the U.S. only in Theatre in the proper names of entertainment showplaces, where it is perhaps felt to convey a touch of class.
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). R&R "rest and relaxation," first recorded 1953, Amer.Eng.; R&B "rhythm and blues" (type of popular music) first attested 1949, Amer.Eng.
R.A.F.: acronym for Royal Air Force, founded 1918 by consolidation of Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service.
R.E.M.: 1957, acronym for rapid eye movement.
R.O.T.C.: acronym for Reserve Officers' Training Corps, attested from 1916 (it was established as part of the National Defense Act of 1916).
R.S.V.P.: c.1845, from Fr. abbreviation of répondez, s'il vous plait "reply, if you please."
rabbet: 1382 (implied in rabbeting), from O.Fr. rabbat "a recess in a wall," lit. "a beating down," from rabattre "beat down, beat back" (see rebate). The verb is attested from 1565.
rabbi: "Jewish doctor of religious law," 1484, (in O.E. in biblical context only; 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. 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: late 14c., "young of the coney," from Fr. dialect (cf. Walloon robète), dim. of Flem. or M.Du. robbe "rabbit," of unknown origin. The adult was a coney (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 heard 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. Mencken]
Rabbit punch "chop on the back of the neck" so called from resemblance to a gamekeeper's method of dispatching an injured rabbit. Rabbit's foot "good luck charm" first attested 1879, in U.S. Southern black culture. Pulling rabbits from a hat as a conjurer's 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 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 François Rabelais (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.
rabies: 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 Smith's raugroughcum. In Norw., vaskebjørn, lit. "wash-bear."
race (1): "act of running," c.1300, from O.N. ras "running, rush (of water)," cognate with O.E. ræs, which became M.E. resen "attack, incursion," but did not survive into Mod.Eng. Both O.N. and O.E. are from P.Gmc. *ræs- (cf. M.Du. rasen "to rave, rage," Ger. rasen). Originally a northern word, it became general in English c.1550. Meaning "contest of speed" first recorded 1510s (the verb in this sense is from 1670s). Race-horse is from 1620s. Meaning "strong current of water" is from late 14c., possibly influenced by O.Fr. raz, which had a similar meaning, and is probably from Breton raz "a strait, narrow channel;" this French source also may have given race its meaning of "channel of a stream" (especially an artificial one to a mill), recorded from 1560s. The verb, in reference to an engine, is from 1862.
race (2): "people of common descent," c.1500, from M.Fr. razza "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 common 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 ra's "head, beginning, origin" (cf. Heb. rosh). O.E. þeode meant both "race" and "language;" as a verb, geþeodan, it meant "to unite, to join." Racial is first attested 1862. Race-riot attested from 1890.
"Just being a Negro doesn't qualify you to understand the race situation any more than being sick makes you an expert on medicine." [Dick Gregory, 1964]
Rachel: 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).
racism: 1936; see racist.
racist: 1932 as a noun, 1938 as an adjective, from race (n.2); racism is first attested 1936 (from Fr. racisme, 1935), originally 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.1300, possibly from M.Du. rec "framework," related to recken "stretch out," cognate with O.E. reccan "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 mid-15c. (verb meaning "to torture on the rack" is from early 15c.), perhaps from Ger. rackbank, originally an implement for stretching leather, etc. Fig. sense of "agony" is from 1590s. Mechanical meaning "toothed bar" is from 1797 (see pinion). Meaning "set of antlers" is first attested 1945, Amer.Eng.; hence slang sense of "a woman's 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. racquassure "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. wræc "something driven." 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 imitative. 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," from 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, 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, risqué," first recorded 1901, probably reinforced by phrase racy of the soil "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 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," prp. 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 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: late 14c. (adj.), in a medieval philosophical sense, from L.L. radicalis "of or having roots," from L. radix (gen. radicis) "root" (see radish). Meaning "going to the origin, essential" is from 1650s. 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 Liberal 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 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 preference 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 (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. rædic, from L. radicem, acc. of radix "root," from PIE 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 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;" 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.).
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: "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: late 14c., from O.Fr. rafle "dice game," also "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 connects 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 petimum sikinlili "Devil's 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, riffraff); form and sense associated with raft (1).