Reff

See also: reff

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Reff (“wooden frame”), a metonymic occupational surname for a carrier or peddler.

Proper noun

Reff (plural Reffs)

1. A surname from German.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Reff is the 34465^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 657 individuals. Reff is most common among White (85.54%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Reff”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• RFFE

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛf/, [ʁɛf]
• Homophone: Ref

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Low German Reff, from Middle Low German ref. Cognate with Dutch reef, English reef, Danish rev. Further origin uncertain. The West Germanic forms are possibly borrowed from Old Norse rif. If so, the word may identical to that for “rib” (Proto-Germanic *ribją), from which is also German Riff (“reef, bank of rocks”); or it may be a derivation from Old Norse ríva (“to tear”), from Proto-Germanic *rīfaną.

Noun

Reff n (strong, genitive Reffes or Reffs, plural Reffe)

1. (nautical) reef (part of a sail that can be rolled in during high wind)

Declension

Declension of Reff [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Reff	die	Reffe
genitive	eines	des	Reffes, Reffs	der	Reffe
dative	einem	dem	Reff, Reffe1	den	Reffen
accusative	ein	das	Reff	die	Reffe

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• reffen

Related terms

• Riff, Rippe (perhaps)

References

• Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009), “reven”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands‎^[1] (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

Etymology 2

From Middle High German ref, from Old High German href, according to Pokorny, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreib-, from *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”).

Cognate with Old Norse hrip and perhaps with Latin corbis, whence German Korb. Compare also Lithuanian krepšỹs.

Noun

Reff n (strong, genitive Reffes or Reffs, plural Reffe)

1. (regional) a wooden frame used to carry someone or something on the back

   Synonym: Rückentrage

Declension

Declension of Reff [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Reff	die	Reffe
genitive	eines	des	Reffes, Reffs	der	Reffe
dative	einem	dem	Reff, Reffe1	den	Reffen
accusative	ein	das	Reff	die	Reffe

¹Now rare, see notes.

References

• Friedrich Kluge (1883), “Reff”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891