Online Etymology Dictionary

reverse (n.): late 14c., "opposite or contrary" (of something), from reverse (adv./adj.); meaning "a defeat, a change of fortune" is from 1520s; meaning "back side of a coin" is from 1620s. Of gear-shifts in motor cars, from 1875. As a type of sports play (originally rugby) it is recorded from 1921.
reverse (v.): early 14c., from Old French reverser (12c.); see reverse (adv./adj.). Related: Reversed; reversing.
reversible (adj.): 1640s; see reverse + -ible. As a noun, of garments, from 1863.
reversion (n.): early 15c., from Old French reversion, from Latin reversionem (nominative reversio), noun of action from past participle stem of revertere (see revert).
revert (v.): c.1300, "to come to oneself again," from Old French revertir, from Vulgar Latin *revertire, variant of Latin revertere "turn back," from re- "back" (see re-) + vertere "to turn" (see versus). Of position or property from mid-15c.; application to customs and ideas is from 1610s.
revetment: 1779, from French revêtement, Old French revestiment, from revestir (Modern French revêtir), from Late Latin revestire "to clothe again," from re- (see re-) + Latin vestire "to clothe" (see vest (v.)).
review (n.): mid-15c., from Middle French reveue "a reviewing, review," prop. fem. past participle of reveeir "to see again, go to see again," from Latin revidere, from re- "again" (see re-) + videre "to see" (see vision). The verb is recorded from 1570s. Meaning "general account or criticism of a recent literary work" is first attested 1640s.
revile (v.): c.1300, from Old French reviler "consider vile, despise," from re-, intensive prefix, + vil (see vile). Related: Reviled; reviling.
revise (v.): 1560s, "to look at again," from Middle French reviser, from Latin revisere "look at again, visit again," frequentative of revidere (past participle revisus), from re- "again" (see re-) + videre "to see" (see vision). Meaning "to look over again with intent to improve or amend" is recorded from 1590s. Related: Revised; revising. The Revised Version of the Bible was done 1870-84; so called because it was a revision of the 1611 ("King James") translation, also known as the Authorized Version.
revision (n.): 1610s, from French revision, from Late Latin revisionem (nominative revisio) "a seeing again," from Latin revisus, past participle of revidere (see revise).
revisionism (n.): 1903, from revision + -ism. Originally in Marxist jargon. Revisionist in the historical sense is from 1934, originally with reference to the causes of World War I.
revisit (v.): 1520s, from French revisiter, from re- (see re-) + visiter "to visit" (see visit). Related: Revisited; revisiting.
revitalize (v.): 1858, from re- "back, again" + vitalize. Related: Revitalized; revitalizing.
revival (n.): "the bringing of an old play back to the stage," 1660s (see revive); first used in a religious sense by Cotton Mather, 1702; revivalist is first attested 1820.
revive (v.): early 15c., from Middle French revivre (10c.), from Latin revivere "to live again," from re- "again" (see re-) + vivere "to live" (see vital). Related: Revived; reviving.
revocable (adj.): late 15c., from Old French revocable or Latin revocabilis; see revoke + -able.
revocation (n.): early 15c., from Latin revocationem (nominative revocatio) "a calling back, recalling," noun of action from revocare (see revoke).
revoke (v.): late 14c., from Old French revoquer, from Latin revocare "rescind, call back," from re- "back" (see re-) + vocare "to call," related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice, sound, tone, call" (see voice (n.)). Related: Revoked; revoking.
revolt (v.): 1540s, from Middle French revolter, from Italian rivoltare "to overthrow, overturn," from Vulgar Latin *revolvitare "to overturn, overthrow," frequentative of Latin revolvere (past participle revolutus) "turn, roll back" (see revolve). The noun is from 1550s. Revolting is 1590s, originally subjective; objective sense of "repulsive" is first recorded 1806.
revolution (n.): late 14c., originally of celestial bodies, from Old French revolution, from Late Latin revolutionem (nominative revolutio) "a revolving," from Latin revolutus, past participle of revolvere "turn, roll back" (see revolve). General sense of "instance of great change in affairs" is recorded from mid-15c. Political meaning first recorded c.1600, derived from French, and was especially applied to the expulsion of the Stuart dynasty under James II in 1688 and transfer of sovereignty to William and Mary.
revolutionary (adj.): 1774; see revolution + -ary. As a noun, from 1850.
revolutionist: 1710; see revolution + -ist.
revolutionize (v.): 1797, "to undergo a (political) revolution; see revolution + -ize. General sense of "to change a thing completely and fundamentally" is first recorded 1799. Related: Revolutionized; revolutionizing.
revolve (v.): late 14c., from Latin revolvere "turn, roll back," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + volvere "to roll" (see vulva). Meaning "travel around a central point" first recorded 1660s. Related: Revolved; revolving.
revolver (n.): type of pistol, 1835, agent noun from revolve. So called by U.S. inventor Samuel Colt (1814-1862) for its revolving chamber cylinder.
revue (n.): 1872, "show presenting a review of current events," from French revue, from Middle French, literally "survey" (see review).
revulsion (n.): 1540s, as a medical term, from Latin revulsionem (nominative revulsio) "act of pulling away," noun of action from past participle stem of revellere "to pull away," from re- "away" (see re-) + vellere "to tear, pull." The meaning "sudden reaction of disgust" is first attested 1816.
reward (n.): c.1300, "a regarding, heeding, observation," from Old North French reward, variant of Old French reguard (see regard). Meaning "repayment for some service" is from mid-14c.
reward (v.): early 14c., from Old North French rewarder, variant of Old French regarder "take notice of, regard, watch over," from re-, intensive prefix, + garder "look, heed, watch" (see guard). Originally any form of requital. Related: Rewarded; rewarding.
rewind (v.): 1717, from re- "back, again" + wind (v.1). Noun meaning "mechanism for rewinding film or tape" is recorded from 1938.
reword (v.): "to express in other words," c.1600, from re- "back, again" + word (v.). Related: Reworded; rewording.
rewrite (v.): "to write again," 1560s, from re- "back, again" + write (q.v.). Related: Rewrote; rewritten. Journalistic rewrite man is recorded from 1901.
rex: 1610s, from Latin rex (genitive regis) "a king," related to regere "to keep straight, guide, lead, rule," from PIE root *reg- "to rule, to lead straight, to put right" (cf. Sanskrit raj- "king;" Old Irish ri, genitive rig "king;" see regal).
Reykjavik: capital of Iceland, literally "bay of smoke," from Old Norse reykja "to smoke" (see reek) + vik "bay" (see viking). So called from the natural hot springs there. Settlement said to date from 9c., but not established as a town until 1786.
reynard: quasi-proper name for a fox, c.1300, from Old French Renart, name of the fox in Roman de Renart, from Old High German personal name Reginhart, literally "counsel-brave." The first element is related to reckon, the second to hard.
Rh factor: 1942, from the first letters of rhesus; so called because the blood group, and its effects, were discovered in the blood of rhesus monkeys (1941).
rh-: consonantal digraph used in Latin (and thus in English words from Latin) to represent Greek initial aspirated -r-.
rhabdomancy (n.): 1640s, "use of divining rod" (especially to discover ores or underground water), from Greek rhabdos "rod, twig, stick" + manteia "divination, oracle" (see -mancy). Greek rhabdos is from PIE *werbh- (cf. Lithuanian virbas "twig, branch, scion, rod," Latin verbena "leaves and branches of laurel"), from root *werb- "to turn, bend" (see warp (v.)).
Rhadamanthus: 1580s, from Latin, from Greek Rhadamanthos, one of the judges of the lower world (son of Zeus and Europa); used allusively of inflexible judges.
Rhaetian: c.1600, from Latin Rhætia, ancient name of a district in the Alps and Roman province between the Rhine, Danube, and Po. Hence Rhaeto-Romanic (1867), language of the Tyrol and southern Switzerland.
rhapsodic (adj.): c.1600 (implied in rhapsodically), from Greek rhapsodikos (see rhapsody).
rhapsodize (v.): c.1600, "to piece together;" 1806, "to talk rhapsodically;" see rhapsody + -ize. Related: Rhapsodized; rhapsodizing.
rhapsody (n.): 1540s, "epic poem," from Middle French rhapsodie, from Latin rhapsodia, from Greek rhapsoidia "verse composition," from rhapsodios "reciter of epic poems," from rhaptein "to stitch" (see wrap) + oide "song" (see ode). Meaning "exalted enthusiastic feeling or expression" is from 1630s. Meaning "sprightly musical composition" is first recorded 1850s.
rhea (n.): South American ostrich, 1801, Modern Latin genus name, from Greek Rhea, titaness, mother of Zeus, a name of unknown origin.
Rhemish: "of or pertaining to Rheims (earlier English Rhemes), city in northeastern France, 1580s; specifically in reference to an English translation of the New Testament by Roman Catholics at the English college there, published 1582.
Rhenish: "of or belonging to the Rhine" (especially of wine), late 14c., from Anglo-French reneis (13c.), from Medieval Latin Rhenensis, from Rhenus (see Rhine).
rheology (n.): 1929, from Greek rheos "a flowing, stream, current" (from PIE root *sreu-; see rheum) + -logy. Related: Rheologist; rheological.
rheostat (n.): 1843, coined by English physicist Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875) from Greek rheos "a flowing, stream" (from PIE root *sreu-, see rheum) + -stat "regulating device."
rhesus: 1827, from Modern Latin genus name of a type of East Indian monkey (1799), given by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Audebert (1759-1800), said to be an arbitrary use of Latin Rhesus, name of a legendary prince of Thrace, from Greek Rhesos.
rhetoric (n.): c.1300, from Old French rethorique, from Latin rhetorice, from Greek rhetorike techne "art of an orator," from rhetor (genitive rhetoros) "orator," related to rhema "word," literally "that which is spoken," from PIE *wre-tor-, from root *were- "to speak" (cf. Old English word, Latin verbum, Greek eirein "to say;" see verb).