different between riffraff vs riff

English

Alternative forms

• riff-raff

Etymology

From Old French rif et raf (“one and all”), of Germanic origin. The first word is from rifler (“to scrape off”) and the last is from raffler, related to rafler (“to plunder”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???f?æf/

Noun

riffraff (usually uncountable, plural riffraffs)

1. The rabble; crowds; the common people.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commonalty
2. Sweepings; refuse.

Derived terms

• riffraffish

Translations

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??f/
• Rhymes: -?f
• Homophone: Rif

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Perhaps a clipping of riffle, or an alteration of refrain.

Noun

riff (plural riffs)

1. A repeated instrumental melody line in a song.

   Listen to one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time!

2. A clever or witty remark.
3. A variation on something.
   • 2012, The Economist, London Skyline: Tower Power

     Both the Orbit and the Pinnacle are riffs on an idea sketched out in 1917 by Vladimir Tatlin for a monument to international communism.

4. A spoof.

Translations

Verb

riff (third-person singular simple present riffs, present participle riffing, simple past and past participle riffed)

1. To improvise in the performance or practice of an art, especially by expanding on or making novel use of traditional themes.
2. To riffle.

Etymology 2

From Middle English *rif (found only in midrif), from Old English hrif (“the belly; womb”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrif, from Proto-Germanic *hrefaz (“body; torso; belly”), from Proto-Indo-European *krep- (“body”). Doublet of corpus.

Noun

riff (plural riffs)

2. (anatomy, archaic) The belly; the bowels.

Derived terms

• midriff

See also

• riff-raff
• riffraff

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English riff.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r?f/
• Hyphenation: riff
• Rhymes: -?f
• Homophone: rif

Noun

riff m (plural riffs, diminutive riffje n)

1. (music) riff

Derived terms

• gitaarriff

French

Etymology

From English riff.

Noun

riff m (plural riffs)

1. (music) riff

Italian

Etymology

From English riff.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?rif?/
• Hyphenation: rìff

Noun

riff m (plural riff)

1. (music, neologism, chiefly in translations from English) riff

   Synonym: ritornello

Spanish

Etymology

From English riff

Noun

riff m (plural riffs)

1. (music) riff