Rifle \Ri"fle\, v. t.
1. To grove; to channel; especially, to groove internally
with spiral channels; as, to rifle a gun barrel or a
cannon.
2. To whet with a rifle. See Rifle, n., 3.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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Rifle \Ri"fle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rifled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Rifling.]
[F. rifler to rifle, sweep away; of uncertain
origin. CF. Raff.]
1. To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry
off.
Till time shall rifle every youthful grace. --Pope.
2. To strip; to rob; to pillage. --Piers Plowman.
Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: If
not, we'll make you sit and rifle you. --Shak.
3. To raffle. [Obs.]
--J. Webster.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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Rifle \Ri"fle\, n. [Akin to Dan. rifle, or riffel, the rifle of
a gun, a chamfer (cf. riffel, riffelb["o]sse, a rifle gun,
rifle to rifle a gun, G. riefeln, riefen, to chamfer,
groove), and E. rive. See Rive, and cf. Riffle, Rivel.]
1. A gun, the inside of whose barrel is grooved with spiral
channels, thus giving the ball a rotary motion and
insuring greater accuracy of fire. As a military firearm
it has superseded the musket.
2. pl. (Mil.) A body of soldiers armed with rifles.
3. A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material,
used for sharpening scythes.
Rifle pit (Mil.), a trench for sheltering sharpshooters.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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