riffle

riffle
I. verb (riffled; riffling) Etymology: 2riffle Date: 1754 intransitive verb 1. to form, flow over, or move in riffles 2. to flip cursorily ; thumb <
riffle through the catalog
>
transitive verb 1. to ruffle slightly ; ripple 2. a. to leaf through hastily; specifically to leaf (as a stack of paper) by sliding a thumb along the edge of the leaves b. to shuffle (playing cards) by separating the deck into two parts and riffling with the thumbs so the cards intermix 3. to manipulate (small objects) idly between the fingers II. noun Etymology: perhaps alteration of ruffle Date: 1785 1. a. a shallow extending across a streambed and causing broken water b. a stretch of water flowing over a riffle 2. a small wave or succession of small waves ; ripple 3. a. any of various contrivances (as blocks or rails) laid on the bottom of a sluice or launder to make a series of grooves or interstices to catch and retain a mineral (as gold) b. a groove or interstice so formed 4. a cleat or bar fastened to an inclined surface in a gold-washing apparatus to catch and hold mineral grains 5. [riffle (I)] a. the act or process of shuffling (as cards) b. the sound made while doing this

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • riffle — [rif′əl] n. [< ? or akin to Ger riffel, groove, furrow < EFris, akin to OE rifelung, wrinkle < IE base * rei , to tear > REAP ] ☆ 1. a) a shoal, reef, or shallow in a stream, producing a stretch of ruffled or choppy water b) a stretch …   English World dictionary

  • Riffle — Rif fle (r[i^]f f l), n. [CF. G. riffeln, riefeln, to groove. Cf. {Rifle} a gun.] 1. (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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • riffle — ► VERB 1) turn over something, especially pages, quickly and casually. 2) (riffle through) search quickly through. 3) shuffle (playing cards) by flicking up and releasing the corners of two piles of cards so that they intermingle. ► NOUN ▪ an act …   English terms dictionary

  • riffle — ● riffle nom masculin Rainure ou baguette fixée dans le fond de certains appareils de concentration des minerais fins, pour arrêter ou ralentir l entraînement par le courant d eau des particules minéralisées denses …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • riffle — (v.) 1754, to make choppy water, American English, perhaps a variant of ruffle make rough. The word meaning shuffle (cards) is first recorded 1894, probably echoic; that of skim, leaf through quickly is from 1922 …   Etymology dictionary

  • riffle — Mail prepared so that 10 or more contiguous mailpieces are addressed to the same ZIP Code destination. Also, to check that mail is in ZIP Code sequence by thumbing quickly through the top of a tray of mail or along the side of a bundle of mail …   Glossary of postal terms

  • Riffle — Mischen von Karten (in Riffle Technik) Als Mischen bezeichnet man die Erzeugung einer zufälligen Reihenfolge der Spielkarten eines Kartenspiels. Dem Mischen folgt oft das Abheben der Karten. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • riffle — UK [ˈrɪf(ə)l] / US verb [transitive] Word forms riffle : present tense I/you/we/they riffle he/she/it riffles present participle riffling past tense riffled past participle riffled riffle or riffle through to quickly turn over pages or papers She …   English dictionary

  • riffle — /ˈrɪfəl / (say rifuhl) noun 1. Mining a. the lining at the bottom of a sluice or the like, made of blocks or slats of wood, or of stones, arranged in such a manner that grooves or openings are left between them for catching and collecting… …  

  • riffle — /rif euhl/, v., riffled, riffling, n. v.t., v.i. 1. to turn hastily; flutter and shift: to riffle a stack of letters; to riffle through a book. 2. Cards. to shuffle by dividing the deck in two, raising the corners slightly, and allowing them to… …   Universalium

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