- reduction (n.)[reduction 词源字典]
- early 15c., "a restoring to a former state; a subjugation" (of a people, etc.), from Middle French reducion (13c., Modern French réduction) and directly from Latin reductionem (nominative reductio) "a leading back, restoration," noun of action from past participle stem of reducere (see reduce). Meaning "diminution, a lessening" is from 1670s; chemical sense of "reversion to a simpler form" is from 1660s.[reduction etymology, reduction origin, 英语词源]
- reductionism (n.)
- 1948, in philosophy, from reduction in specialized sense in philosophy (1914) + -ism. Related: Reductionist.
- reductionist (n.)
- 1861 and after in various senses, from reduction + -ist. Philosophical sense, related to reductionism is from 1934.
- reductive (adj.)
- 1630s, "that reduces;" 1650s, "that leads or brings back," from Medieval Latin reductivus, from reduct-, past participle stem of Latin reducere (see reduce). Related: Reductively.
- redundance (n.)
- 1610s, from Latin redundantia "an overflowing, superfluity, excess," from redundare (see redundant).
- redundancy (n.)
- c. 1600; see redundant + -ancy. Sense in employment is from 1931, chiefly British.
- redundant (adj.)
- 1590s, from Latin redundantem (nominative redundans), present participle of redundare, literally "overflow, pour over; be over-full;" figuratively "be in excess," from re- "again" (see re-) + undare "rise in waves," from unda "a wave" (see water (n.1)). Of persons, in employment situations, from 1928, chiefly British. Related: Redundantly.
- reduplicate (v.)
- 1560s, from Medieval Latin reduplicatus, past participle of reduplicare "to redouble," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + Latin duplicare "to double" (see duplicate (adj.)). Related: Reduplicated; reduplicating; reduplicative.
- reduplication (n.)
- 1580s, from French réduplication (16c.), from Late Latin reduplicationem (nominative reduplicatio), noun of action from past participle stem of reduplicare (see reduplicate).
- redux (adj.)
- "restored, brought back," Latin, from reducere (see reduce). In book titles at least since 1662 (Dryden, "Astraea Redux," written on the restoration of Charles II).
- redware (n.)
- also red ware, type of pottery, 1690s, from red (adj.1) + ware (n.).
- redwood (n.)
- 1610s, "wood that has a red hue," from red (adj.1) + wood (n.). Of various types of New World trees that yield such wood, from 1716; specifically of the California Sequoia sempervirens from 1819. In Scottish English 16c.-18c. the same word as an adjective meant "completely deranged, raving, stark mad," from wood (adj.).
- reebok (n.)
- South African antelope, 1775, from Dutch form of roebuck.
- reed (n.)
- "tall, broad-leafed grass growing in wet places," Old English hreod "reed, rush," from Proto-Germanic *kreut- "reed" (cognates: Old Saxon hraid, Old Frisian hriad, Middle Dutch ried, Dutch riet, Old High German hriot, German Ried), with no known cognates beyond Germanic.
Meaning "musical pipe made from a reed stem" is from late 14c. (reed-pipe is from c. 1300). As part of the mouthpiece of a musical instrument it is attested from 1520s. Meaning "a reed instrument" is from 1838. - reedy (adj.)
- late 14c., "full of reeds," from reed + -y (2), or from Old English hreodig. Of tones, from 1811 in reference to musical reeds. Related: Reediness.
- reef (n.1)
- "rock ridge underwater," 1580s, riffe, probably via Dutch riffe, from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse rif "ridge in the sea; reef in a sail," literally "rib" (see rib (n.)).
- reef (n.2)
- "horizontal section of sail," late 14c. (mid-14c. in rif-rope), from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge under the sea; rib" (see rib (n.) and compare reef (n.1)). German reff, Swedish ref, Norwegian riv, Danish reb likely all are from the Old Norse word.
- reef (v.)
- 1660s, "take in, roll up" (as one would a section of a sail on a ship), from reef (n.2). Related: Reefed; reefing.
- reefer (n.)
- "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mexican Spanish grifo "marijuana, drug addict" [OED]; or perhaps from reef (v.), on resemblance to a rolled sail. It also meant "pickpocket" in criminal slang (1935). Reefer also was a nickname for the sailing navy's equivalent to a midshipman (1818) "because they attend in the tops during the operation of reefing" [Century Dictionary], which is the source of the meaning "coat of a nautical cut" (1878) worn by sailors and fishermen "but copied for general use in the fashions of 1888-90" [CD].
- reek (n.)
- Old English rec (Anglian), riec (West Saxon), "smoke from burning material," probably from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse reykr, Danish rǿg, Swedish rök "smoke, steam," from Proto-Germanic *raukiz (cognates: Old Frisian rek, Middle Dutch rooc, Old High German rouh, German Rauch "smoke, steam"), from PIE *reug- "to vomit, belch;" also "smoke, cloud." Sense of "stench" is attested 1650s, via the notion of "that which rises" (compare reek (v.)).