Online Etymology Dictionary

redware (n.): also red ware, type of pottery, 1690s, from red (1) + ware (n.).
redwood (n.): 1610s, "wood that has a red hue," from red (1) + wood (n.). Of various types of New World trees that yield such wood, from 1716; specifically of the California Sequoia sempervirens from 1819.
reebok (n.): South African antelope, 1775, from Dutch form of roebuck.
reed (n.): Old English hreod "reed," from Proto-Germanic *khreudom (cf. Old Saxon hraid, Old Frisian hriad, Middle Dutch ried, Old High German hriot, German riet), no known cognates beyond Germanic. As part of the mouthpiece of a musical instrument it is attested from 1520s.
reedy (adj.): late 14c., "full of reeds," from reed + -y (2). Of tones, from 1811 in reference to musical reeds. Related: Reediness.
reef (n.1): "ridge underwater," 1580s, probably via Dutch riffe, from Old Norse rif "ridge," literally "rib" (see rib).
reef (n.2): "horizontal section of sail," late 14c., from Old Norse rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge, rib" (see rib). Cf. German reff, Swedish ref, Norwegian riv, Danish reb, all from the Old Norse word. Reefer as a nickname for "midshipman" (1818) is source of the meaning "coat of a nautical cut" (1878).
reefer (n.): "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mexican Spanish grifo "marijuana, drug addict;" or perhaps from reef (2), on resemblance to a rolled sail.
reek (n.): Old English rec (Anglian), riec (West Saxon), "smoke from burning material," probably from Old Norse reykr (cf. Reykjavik, literally "smoky bay"), from Proto-Germanic *raukiz (cf. Old Frisian rek, Middle Dutch rooc, Old High German rouh, German Rauch "smoke, steam"), apparently not found outside Germanic. Sense of "stench" is attested 1650s, via the notion of "that which rises."
reek (v.): Old English recan (Anglian), reocan (West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *reukanan (cf. German rauchen "to smoke," riechen "to smell"). Originally "to emit smoke;" meaning "to emit a bad smell" is recorded from 1710. Related: Reeked; reeking.
reel (n.1): "frame turning on an axis," late Old English hreol "reel for winding thread," from Proto-Germanic *khrekhulaz; probably related to hrægel "garment," and Old Norse hræll "spindle." Specifically of the fishing rod attachment from 1726; of a film projector apparatus from 1896. The verb meaning "to wind on a reel" is recorded from late 14c., from the noun. To reel off "rattle off without pause or effort" is from 1837. Reel-to-reel type of tape deck is attested from 1958.
reel (n.2): "lively Highland dance," 1580s, probably a special use of the verb sense of reel (n.1). Applied to the music for such a dance from 1590s.
reel (v.): "to whirl around," c.1300, probably from reel (n.1), on notion of "spinning." Of the mind, from 1796.
reem (n.): Hebrew name of an animal in the Old Testament, now identified with the wild ox, but formerly translated in Latin as rhinoceros and in English as unicorn.
reet (adj.): "good, proper, excellent," 1934, jazz slang, from American English dialectal pronunciation of right (adj.).
reeve (n.): "steward," Old English gerefa, of unknown origin and with no known cognates. Not connected to German Graf (see margrave). An Anglo-Saxon official of high rank, having local jurisdiction under a king. Cf. sheriff.
ref: 1899 (n.), 1929 (v.); short for referee. Related: Reffed; reffing.
refectory (n.): late 15c., from Medieval Latin refectorium, from reficere "to remake, restore," from re- (see re-) + facere (see factitious).
refer (v.): late 14c., "to trace back, attribute, assign," from Old French referer (14c.), from Latin referre "to relate, refer," literally "to carry back," from re- "back" (see re-) + ferre "carry" (see infer). Meaning "to commit to some authority for a decision" is from mid-15c.; sense of "to direct (someone) to a book, etc." is from c.1600.
referee (n.): 1620s, "person who examines patent applications" (see refer). Sporting use is first recorded 1840 (specifically of baseball from 1856).
referee (v.): 1889, from referee (n.). Related: Refereed; refereeing.
reference (n.): 1580s, "act of referring," from refer + -ance. Meaning "direction to a book or passage" is recorded from 1610s. Meaning "testimonial" is from 1895. Reference book dates from 1808. Phrase in reference to is attested from 1590s.
reference (v.): 1837 (implied in referenced), from reference (n.). Related: Referencing.
referendum (n.): 1847, "submitting a question to the voters as a whole" (originally chiefly in reference to Switzerland), from French or German, from Latin referendum "that which must be referred," literally "thing brought back," from neuter gerundive of referre "to bring or take back" (see refer). As a gerundive, it has no plural in Latin; referendums is preferred in English.
referent (adj.): 1838, from Latin referentem, present participle of referre (see refer).
referential (adj.): 1650s, from reference on model of inferential, etc.
referral (n.): 1920, "act of referring," from refer + -al (2). Especially to an expert or specialist (a sense attested from 1955).
refill (v.): 1680s, from re- "back, again" + fill (v.). Related: Refilled; refilling.
refill (n.): 1884, from refill (v.). Meaning "a second drink" is from 1929.
refinance (v.): 1901, from re- "again" + finance (v.). Related: Refinanced; refinancing.
refine (v.): 1580s, of metals, c.1590 of manners, from re-, intensive prefix, + obsolete fine (v.) "make fine," from fine (adj.) "delicate." Cf. French raffiner, Italian raffinare, Spanish refinar. General and figurative sense is recorded from 1590s; of sugar, from 1610s. Related: Refined; refining.
refinement (n.): 1610s, "act or process of refining," from refine + -ment. Meaning "fineness of feeling" is from 1708.
refinery (n.): 1727, from refine + -ery.
refit (v.): 1660s, from re- "again" + fit (v.). Originally nautical. Related: Refitted; refitting.
reflect (v.): early 15c., "to divert, to turn aside, deflect," from Old French reflecter (14c.), from Latin reflectere (see reflection). Of mirrors or polished surfaces, to shine back light rays or images, 1520s; meaning "to turn one's thoughts back on" is c.1600. Related: Reflected; reflecting.
reflection (n.): late 14c., in reference to surfaces, from Late Latin reflexionem (nominative reflexio) "a reflection," literally "a bending back," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin reflectere, from re- "back" (see re-) + flectere "to bend" (see flexible). Meaning "remark made after turning back one's thought on some subject" is from 1650s.
reflective (adj.): 1620s, from reflect + -ive.
reflector (n.): 1660s, agent noun in Latin form from reflect.
reflex (n.): c.1500, "reflection of light," from the verb meaning "refract, deflect" (late 14c.), from Late Latin reflexus "a bending back," properly past participle of reflectere (see reflection). Meaning "involuntary nerve stimulation" first recorded 1877, from reflex action (1833).
reflexive (adj.): 1580s, "reflective, capable of bending or turning back," from Medieval Latin reflexivus, from Late Latin reflexus (see reflect). Meaning "of the nature of a reflex" is from 1871. Related: Reflexively; reflexivity.
reflexology (n.): 1927, as a psychological theory, from German reflexologie (1912); see reflex + -ology. As a foot massage technique, first recorded 1976.
reflux (n.): early 15c., "a flowing back (of the sea, etc.)," from Medieval Latin refluxus, from Latin re- "back, again" (see re-) + fluxus "a flowing" (see flux). Digestive sense is recorded from 1937.
refocus (v.): 1858, from re- + focus. Related: Refocused; refocusing.
reforest (v.): "to restore to a wooded condition," 1831, from re- "back, again" + verb use of forest (n.). Related: Reforested; reforesting.
reform (v.): c.1300, "to convert into another and better form," from Old French reformer (12c.), from Latin reformare "to form again, change, alter," from re- "again" (see re-) + formare "to form" (see form (n.)).

Meaning "to bring (a person) away from an evil course of life" is recorded from early 15c.; of governments, institutions, etc., from early 15c. Related: Reformed; reforming. Reformed churches (1580s) usually are Calvinist as opposed to Lutheran. Reformed Judaism (1843) is a movement initiated in Germany by Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786). Reform school is attested from 1859.
reform (n.): 1660s, from reform (v.).
reformation (n.): "improvement, alteration for the better," early 15c., from Latin reformationem, noun of action from reformare (see reform (v.)). In reference to the European religious movement, it is attested by 1540s, borrowed from Luther. The movement began as a bid to reform doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome.
reformatory (adj.): 1704, from past participle stem of Latin reformare (see reform). As a noun, “house of correction for juveniles,” from 1758.
reformist (n.): 1580s, originally religious; from reform + -ist. Political sense is from 1640s.
refract (v.) $Look up refract at Dictionary.com$: 1610s, from Latin refractus, past participle of refringere (see refraction). Related: Refracted; refracting.