A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

right (adj.2) --- opposite of left, 1125, riht, from O.E. riht, which did not have this sense but meant "good, proper, fitting, straight" (see right (adj.1) ). The notion is of the right hand as the "correct" hand. The O.E. word for this was swiþra, lit. "stronger." "The history of words for 'right' and 'left' shows that they were used primarily with reference to the hands" [Buck]. Cf. similar sense evolution in Du. recht, Ger. recht "right (not left)," from O.H.G. reht, which meant only "straight, just." The usual PIE root (*deks(i)-) is represented by Skt. daksina-, Gk. dexios, L. dexter (cf. O.Fr. destre, Sp. diestro, etc.), Ir. dess, Welsh deheu, Goth. taihswa, Lith. desinas, O.C.S. desnu, Rus. desnoj. Other derivations on a similar pattern to Eng. right are Fr. droit, from L. directus "straight;" Lith. labas, lit. "good;" and Slavic words (Boh. pravy, Pol. prawy, Rus. pravyj) from O.C.S. pravu, lit. "straight." The political sense of "conservative" is first recorded 1794 (adj.), 1825 (n.), a translation of Fr. Droit "the Right, Conservative Party" in the Fr. National Assembly (1789; see left). Right wing in political sense is first recorded 1905. Right hand, fig. for "indispensable person" is recorded from 1528; right-hand man first attested 1665.

right (v.) --- O.E. rihtan "to straighten, rule, set up," from riht (adj.); see right (adj.1). Cf. O.N. retta "to straighten," Ger. richten, Goth. garaihtjan.

righteous --- early 16c. alteration of rightwise, from O.E. rihtwis, from riht (see right) + wis "wise, way, manner." Suffix altered by influence of courteous, etc. Meaning "genuine, excellent" is c.1900 in jazz slang.

rigid --- 1538, from L. rigidus "hard, stiff, rough, severe," from rigere "be stiff," from PIE *reig- "stretch (tight), bind tightly, make fast" (cf. O.Ir. riag "torture," M.H.G. ric "band, string"), related to L. frigus "cold," Gk. rhigos "frost, cold."

rigmarole --- 1736, "a long, rambling discourse," from an altered, Kentish colloquial survival of ragman roll "long list or catalogue" (1523), in M.E. a long roll of verses descriptive of personal characters, used in a medieval game of chance called Rageman, perhaps from Anglo-Fr. Ragemon le bon "Ragemon the good," which was the heading on one set of the verses, referring to a character by that name. Sense transferred to "foolish activity or commotion" c.1955, but known orally from 1930s.

rigor --- c.1386, from O.Fr. rigor (13c.), from L. rigorem (nom. rigor) "numbness, stiffness, rigor," from rigere "be stiff" (see rigid). Rigor mortis is 1839, from L. rigor "stiffness" + mortis, gen. of mors "death" (see mortal).

rile --- 1825, Amer.Eng. spelling alteration to reflect a dialectal pronunciation of roil (q.v.); cf. heist from hoist.

rill --- small brook, rivulet, 1538, from Du. ril, Low Ger. rille "groove, furrow," probably from P.Gmc. *riðele (cf. O.E. rið, riþe "brook, stream," which survives only in obscure Eng. dialects), a diminutive form from PIE base *reie- "to run, flow" (see Rhine).

rim --- O.E. rima "edge, border," as in særima "seashore," lit. "rim of the sea," and dægrima "dawn," lit. "rim of the day." Related to O.N. rime, rimi "a raised strip of land, ridge." No known cognates in other languages. The snare drummer's rim shot is recorded from 1934.

rime --- hoarfrost, O.E. hrim, from P.Gmc. *khrima- (cf. O.N. hrim, Du. rijm, Ger. Reif). O.Fr. rime is of Gmc. origin. Rare in M.E., surviving mainly in Scottish and northern Eng., revived in literary use late 18c.

rind --- O.E. rinde "bark, crust," later "peel of a fruit or vegetable" (c.1400), from P.Gmc. *rendo- (cf. O.S. rinda, M.Du. rinde, Ger. Rinde), related to O.E. rendan "to rend."

ring (n.) --- O.E. hring "circular band," from P.Gmc. *khrengaz (cf. O.N. hringr, O.Fris. hring, Ger. Ring), lit. "something curved," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (cf. L. curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" O.C.S. kragu "circle," and perhaps Gk. kirkos "ring," koronos "curved"). Meaning "place for prize fight and wrestling bouts" (c.1330) is from the space in a circle of bystanders in which such contests were once held (ringside is attested from 1866). Meaning "combination of interested persons" is from 1829. The verb meaning "to make a circle around" is O.E. ymbhringan. The circus ringmaster is recorded from 1873. Tree ring is from 1671; fairy ring is from 1626. Nursery rhyme ring a ring a rosie, is attested in an American form (with a different ending) from c.1790. "The belief that the rhyme originated with the Great Plague is now almost universal, but has no evidence to support it and is almost certainly nonsense" ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]. This connection only dates to the 1960s.

ring (v.) --- sound a bell, O.E. hringan, from P.Gmc. *khrenganan (cf. O.N. hringja, Swed. ringa, M.Du. ringen), probably of imitative origin. To give (someone) a ring "call on the telephone" was in use by 1910. To ring down a theatrical curtain is from 1772, from the custom of signaling for it by ringing a bell.

ringer --- especially be a dead ringer for "resemble closely," 1891, from ringer, a fast horse entered fraudulently in a race in place of a slow one (the verb to ring in this sense is attested from 1812), possibly from British ring in "substitute, exchange," via ring the changes, "substitute counterfeit money for good," a pun on ring the changes in the sense of play the regular series of variations in a peal of bells (1614). Meaning "expert" is first recorded 1918, Australian slang, from earlier meaning "man who shears the most sheep per day" (1871).

ringleader --- 1503, from M.E. phrase to lead the ring (c.1340), probably from a medieval metaphor from dancing.

ringlet --- 1555, from ring (n.) + dim. suffix -let.. Of hair, since 1667.

ringworm --- c.1425, from ring (n.) + worm (q.v.).

rink --- 1375, Scottish dialect, probably from O.Fr. renc, reng "row, line," from Frankish and ultimately connected with ring (n.) (q.v.). Probably confused in meaning with ring (n.) in sense of "area marked out for a sporting contest." Ice hockey sense first attested 1896.

rinky-dink --- 1912, carnival slang, said to be imitative of the sound of banjo music at parades.

rinse --- 1338, from O.Fr. rincier, perhaps a dissimilated form of recincier "cleanse," from V.L. *recentiare "renew, refresh," from L.L. recentare "to make fresh," from L. recens (gen. recentis) "fresh." The noun is attested from 1837.

rio --- a river, from Sp. rio, from L. rivus "brook, stream" (see rivulet).

Rio de Janeiro --- lit. "January River," named by explorer Amerigo Vespucci because he discovered it on Jan. 1, 1502, and so called because he incorrectly thought the bay was the estuary of a large river. See January.

riot (n.) --- c.1225, "debauchery, extravagance, wanton living," from O.Fr. riote (masc. riot) "dispute, quarrel," perhaps from Prov. riota, of uncertain origin. Meaning "public disturbance" is first recorded 1390. Meaning "something spectacularly successful" first recorded 1909 in theater slang. The verb is attested from 1386. Run riot is first recorded 1523, a metaphoric extension from M.E. meaning in ref. to hounds following the wrong scent. The Riot Act, part of which must be read to a mob before active measures can be taken, was passed 1714 (1 Geo. I, st.2, c.5). Riot girl and alternate form riot grrl first recorded 1992.

rip (n1.) --- rough water, 1775, perhaps a special use of rip (v.). Originally of seas; application to rivers is from 1857. Rip-tide is attested from 1862.

rip (n2.) --- thing of little value, 1815, earlier "inferior or worn-out horse" (1778), perhaps altered from slang rep (1747) "man of loose character," which is itself perhaps short for reprobate (q.v.).

rip (v.) --- tear apart, c.1477, probably of North Sea Gmc. origin (cf. Flem. rippen "strip off roughly," Frisian rippe "to tear, rip") or else from a Scand. source (cf. Swed. reppa, Dan. rippe "to tear, rip"). In either case, probably imitative of the sound of cloth ripping. Meaning "to move with slashing force" (1798) is the sense in let her rip, Amer.Eng. colloquial phrase attested from 1853. The noun is attested from 1711; rip cord (1909) originally was in ballooning. The verbal phrase rip off "to steal or rob," is first recorded c.1967 in black slang, but rip was prison slang for "to steal" since 1904, and was also used in this sense in 12c. Rip-off (n.) is attested from 1970. Jack the Ripper contains a pun on ripper in sense of "tool for ripping" old slates, etc. (1793) and the slang meaning "a ripping fellow" (1838), from ripping "excellent, splendid" (1826).

Rip Van Winkle --- person out of touch with current conditions, 1829, from name of character in Washington Irving's "Sketch Book" (1819-20).

riparian --- of or pertaining to river banks, 1849, from L. riparius "of a river bank," from riparia "shore," later used in ref. to the stream flowing between the banks, from ripa "(steep) bank of a river, shore," probably lit. "break" (and indicating the drop off from ground level to the stream bed), or else "that which is cut out by the river," from PIE base *rei- "to scratch, tear, cut" (cf. Gk. ereipia "ruins," eripne "slope, precipice;" O.N. rifa "break, to tear apart;" Dan. rift "breach," M.H.G. rif "riverbank, seashore;" cf. riven, rift, rifle).

ripe --- O.E. ripe "ready for reaping, fit for eating," from W.Gmc. *ripijaz (cf. M.Du. ripe, Du. rijp, O.H.G. rifi, Ger. reif); related to O.E. repan "to reap" (see reap). The verb ripen "to grow ripe" is from 1561, replacing earlier verb ripe, from late O.E. ripian, from the adj.

riposte --- 1707, "a quick thrust after parrying a lunge," a fencing term, from Fr. riposte, by dissimilation from risposte, from It. risposta "a reply," from rispondere "to respond," from L. respondere (see respond). Sense of "sharp retort" is first attested 1865.

ripple (v.) --- 1670, "to present a ruffled surface," of unknown origin, perhaps a frequentative of rip (v.). The noun meaning "very small wave" first recorded 1798, from earlier meaning "stretch of shallow, rippling water" (1755). Meaning "ice cream streaked with colored syrup" first attested 1939, so called from its appearance.

rip-rap --- loose stone thrown down in water or soft ground as foundation, 1822, Amer.Eng., from earlier nautical meaning "stretch of rippling water" (often caused by underwater elevations), 1669, probably of imitative origin.

riproaring --- 1834, altered from riproarious (1830), from rip (v.) "tear apart" + (up)roarious (1819); see uproar.

ripsnorter --- something of exceptional strength, 1840, probably from rip (v.) + snort (q.v.).

rise (v.) --- O.E. risan (usually arisan; class I strong verb; past tense ras, pp. risen), from P.Gmc. *us-risanan "to go up" (cf. O.N. risa, Goth. urreisan "to rise," O.H.G. risan "to rise, flow," Ger. reisen "to travel," originally "to rise for a journey"). Related to raise (q.v.). The noun meaning "upward movement" is from 1573; the meaning "a piece of rising ground" is from 1639. Phrase to get a rise out of (someone) (1834) is a metaphor from angling (1651). Riser "upright part of a step" is from 1771.

risible --- 1557, "given to laughter," from L.L. risibilis "laughable, able to laugh," from L. risus, pp. of ridere "to laugh." Meaning "capable of exciting laughter, comical" is from 1727.

risk (n.) --- 1661, risque, from Fr. risque, from It. risco, riscio (modern rischio), from riscare "run into danger," of uncertain origin. The Anglicized spelling first recorded 1728. Sp. riesgo and Ger. Risiko are It. loan-words. The verb is from 1687; risky first recorded 1826.

risorgimento --- 1889, "movement which led to the unification and independence of Italy," from It., lit. "uprising" (of Italy against Austria, c.1850-60), from risorgere, from L. resurgere (see resurgent).

risotto --- rice cooked in broth with meat and cheese, 1884, from It., from riso "rice" (see rice).

risque --- tending toward impropriety, 1867, borrowed from Fr. risqué, pp. of risquer (see risk).

Ritalin --- proprietary name (Ciba Ltd., originally in Switzerland) for drug methylphenidate hydrochloride, copyrighted 1948, years before the drug itself was marketed.

rite --- c.1315, from L. ritus "religious observance or ceremony, custom, usage," perhaps from PIE base *re(i)- "to count, number" (cf. Gk. arithmos "number," O.E. rim "number"). Rite of passage (1909) is transl. from Fr. rite de passage, coined by Fr. anthropologist Arnold van Gennep (1873–1957).

ritual (adj.) --- 1570, from L. ritualis "relating to (religious) rites," from ritus "rite" (see rite). The noun is first recorded 1649. Ritualistic first recorded 1850.

ritzy --- 1920, in ref. to the luxurious Ritz hotels in N.Y., London, Paris, etc., commemorating Swiss hotelier César Ritz (1850-1918). Ritz (n.), as in put on the ritz "assume an air of superiority" is recorded from 1926.

rival (n.) --- 1577, from L. rivalis "a rival," originally, "one who uses the same stream" (or "one on the opposite side of the stream"), from rivus "brook" (see rivulet). The notion is of the competitiveness of neighbors. The verb is first attested 1605.

riven --- split, cloven, rent, 1307, past participle of rive "to tear, rend" (c.1275), from O.N. rifa "to tear apart," from P.Gmc. *rifanan (see riparian)

river --- c.1297, from O.Fr. riviere, from V.L. *riparia "riverbank, seashore, river" (cf. Sp. ribera, It. riviera), noun use of fem. of L. riparius "of a riverbank" (see riparian). The O.E. word was ea (see aqua-). U.S. slang phrase up the river "in prison" (1891) is originally in ref. to Sing Sing prison, which was lit. "up the (Hudson) river" from New York City. Phrase down the river "done with" perhaps echoes sense in to sell down the river (1851), originally of troublesome slaves, to sell from the Upper South to the harsher cotton plantations of the Deep South.

rivet (n.) --- c.1400, from O.Fr. rivet, possibly from M.Du. wriven "turn, grind." The Eng. word may be directly from M.Du. The verb is attested from c.1430. Meaning "to command the attention" is from 1602; riveting (adj.) in this sense is from 1854.

Riviera --- Mediterranean seacoast around Genoa, 1632, from It., lit. "bank, shore" (see river). In extended use, the coast from Marseilles to La Spezia, which became popular 19c. as a winter resort.

rivulet --- 1587, from It. rivoletto, dim. of rivolo, itself a dim., from L. rivus "stream, brook," from *reiwos, lit. "that which flows," from PIE base *rei- "to flow" (cf. Skt. rinati "causes to flow," ritih "stream, course;" O.C.S. reka "river;" M.Ir. rian "river, way;" Goth. rinnan "run, flow," rinno "brook;" M.L.G. ride "brook;" O.E. riþ "stream").

RNA --- 1948, abbreviation of ribonucleic acid (see ribonucleic).

roach (1) --- 1837, shortened form of cockroach (q.v.), in contemporary writing said to be from a polite desire to avoid the sexual connotation in the first syllable; meaning "butt of a marijuana cigarette" is first recorded 1938, perhaps from resemblance to the insect, but perhaps a different word entirely.

roach (2) --- small freshwater fish, 1314, from O.Fr. roche (13c.), perhaps from a Gmc. source.

road --- O.E. rad "riding, hostile incursion," from P.Gmc. *ridanan, source of O.E. ridan (see ride). Also related to raid. In M.E., "a riding, a journey," sense of "open way for traveling between two places" is first recorded 1596. Modern spelling only established 18c. Roadblock is attested from 1940. Roadster "open two-seat automobile" is from 1908, earlier of light carriages (1892), originally "a ship lying near the shore" (1744), which is from the nautical sense of "narrow stretch of sheltered water" (c.1320, cf. Hampton Roads in Virginia). Road test is from 1906. Road hog is attested from 1891; road rage is from 1988; roadie "laborer employed by pop groups while on tour" first recorded 1969; road kill (n.) in the figurative sense is from 1992.

roam --- c.1300, romen, possibly from O.E. *ramian "act of wandering about," related to aræman "arise, lift up." There are no cognate forms in other Gmc. languages. "Except in late puns, there is no evidence of connexion with the Romance words denoting pilgrims or pilgrimages to Rome ...." [OED].

roan --- 1530, from M.Fr. roan "reddish brown," perhaps from Sp. roano, from O.Sp. raudano, probably from a Gmc. source (cf. Gothic raudan, accusative of rauðs "red").

roar (v.) --- O.E. rarian, probably of imitative origin (cf. M.Du. reeren, Ger. röhren "to roar;" Skt. ragati "barks;" Lith. reju "to scold;" O.C.S. revo "I roar;" L. raucus "hoarse"). The noun is attested from c.1390. Roaring forties in ref. to exceptional rough seas between latitudes 40 and 50 south, is attested from 1867.

roast (v.) --- 1297, from O.Fr. rostir, from Frank. *hraustjan (cf. O.H.G. rosten, M.Du. roosten "to roast"), from the same source as roster (q.v.). The meaning "make fun of in an affectionate way" is from 1710. The noun is attested from c.1330. Roast beef first recorded 1635.

rob --- c.1175 (implied in robber), from O.Fr. rober, from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. roubon "to rob," roub "spoil, plunder;" O.E. reafian, source of the reave in bereave), from P.Gmc. *raubojanan, from *raub- "to break."

Rob Roy --- Highland freebooter (1671-1734). His name means "Red Robert." As a type of cocktail made with Scotch whiskey, it is attested from 1960.

robe (n.) --- c.1275, from O.Fr. robe "long, loose outer garment," originally "plunder, booty," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. rouba "vestments," presumably those taken from the enemy as spoils), from W.Gmc. *rauba, the stem that also yielded rob (v.). The verb is recorded from 1377. Metonymic sense of "the legal profession" is attested from 1647.

Robert --- masc. proper name, from O.N.Fr. form of O.H.G. Hrodberht, lit. "bright with glory," from hrod- "fame, glory" + -berht "bright."

robin --- common European songbird, 1549, shortening of Robin Redbreast (c.1450), from O.Fr. Robin, personal name, dim. of Robert (q.v.). As a bird name, it ousted the native ruddock, which is related to red. In N.Amer., the name was applied to the red-breasted thrush by 1703. Robin's egg as a shade of blue is attested from 1881. Robin Goodfellow "sportive elf of the English countryside," is first attested 1531, popular 16-17c.; Robin Hood is at least from 1377.

Robinson Crusoe --- man without companionship, 1768, from name of the eponymous hero of Daniel Defoe's fictional shipwreck narrative (1719).

robot --- 1923, from Eng. translation of 1920 play "R.U.R." ("Rossum's Universal Robots"), by Karel Capek (1890-1938), from Czech robotnik "slave," from robota "forced labor, drudgery," from robotiti "to work, drudge," from an Old Czech source akin to Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude," from rabu "slave" (see orphan), from a Slavic stem related to Ger. Arbeit "work" (O.H.G. arabeit). According to Rawson the word was popularized by Karel Capek's play, "but was coined by his brother Josef (the two often collaborated), who used it initially in a short story." Robotics coined 1941 in a science fiction context by Isaac Asimov, who proposed the "Three Laws of Robotics" in 1968.

robust --- 1549, from L. robustus "strong and hardy," originally "oaken," from robur, robus "hard timber, strength," also "a special kind of oak," named for its reddish heartwood, from L. ruber "red" (cf. robigo "rust"). Robustious (1548) was a common form in 17c. (cf. "Hamlet" iii.2); it fell from use by mid-18c., but was somewhat revived by mid-19c. antiquarian writers.

roc --- large, ferocious bird of fable, 1579, from Arabic rukhkh, from Pers. rukh. Mentioned in Marco Polo's account of Madagascar, modern use is mostly from "Arabian Nights."

rock (n.) --- stone, O.E. rocc (in stanrocc "stone rock or obelisk"), also from O.N.Fr. roque, from M.L. rocca (767), from V.L. *rocca, of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be from Celtic (cf. Bret. roch). Seems to have been used in M.E. principally for rock formations as opposed to individual stones. Meaning "precious stone, especially a diamond," is 1908, U.S. slang. Fig. use for "sure foundation" (especially with ref. to Christ) is from 1526. Meaning "crystalized cocaine" is attested from 1973, in West Coast U.S. slang. Rocks "ice cubes" is from 1946; slang meaning "testicles" is first recorded in phrase get (one's) rocks off "achieve intense satisfaction." On the rocks "ruined" is from 1889. Rock-bottom "lowest possible" is from 1856. Rock-salt is from 1707. Between a rock and a hard place first attested 1921, originally in Arizona. Rock-ribbed is from 1776, originally of land; fig. sense of "resolute" first recorded 1887.

rock (v.1) --- to sway, late O.E. roccian, related to O.N. rykkja "to pull, tear, move," Swed. rycka "to pull, pluck," M.Du. rucken, O.H.G. rucchan, Ger. rücken "to move jerkily." For musical senses, see rock (v.2). Rocking horse is first recorded 1724; rocking chair is from 1766. To rock the boat is attested from 1931. Rock-a-bye first recorded 1805 in nursery rhyme.

rock (v.2) --- to dance to popular music with a strong beat, 1948 (first attested in song title "We're gonna rock"), from rock (v.1), in earlier blues slang sense of "to cause to move with musical rhythm" (1922); often used at first with sexual overtones (cf. 1922 song title "My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)"). Sense developed early 1950s to "play or dance to rock and roll music." Noun sense of "musical rhythm characterized by a strong beat" is from 1946, in blues slang. Rocksteady, Jamaican pop music style (precursor of reggae), is attested from 1969.

rock 'n' roll --- noun ref. to a specific style of popular music is attested from 1954, from rock (v.2) + roll (v.). The verbal phrase had been a Black Eng. euphemism for "sexual intercourse," used in popular dance music lyrics and song titles since at least the 1934s. Shortened form rock first attested 1957.

rockabilly --- 1956, from noun sense of rock (v.2), with the second element abstracted from (hill)billy music. First attested in a "Billboard" item about Johnny Burnette's "Lonesome Train."

Rockefeller --- immensely rich man, 1938, in ref. to U.S. financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937).

rocker --- a rocking chair, 1852, Amer.Eng., from rock (v.); earlier "nurse charged with rocking a cradle" (c.1400). In sense of "one of the curved pieces of wood that makes a chair or cradle rock" it dates from 1787. Slang off (one's) rocker "crazy" first recorded 1897. Meaning "one who enjoys rock music" (as opposed to mod) is recorded from 1963.

rocket (1) --- garden plant of the cabbage family, 1530, from M.Fr. roquette, from It. rochetta, dim. of ruca "a kind of cabbage," from L. eruca "colewort," perhaps lit. "hairy caterpillar" (the plant has downy stems) and related to ericus "hedgehog."

rocket (2) --- projectile, 1611, from It. rocchetto "a rocket," lit. "a bobbin," dim. of rocca "a distaff," so called because of cylindrical shape. The It. word probably is from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. rocko "distaff," O.N. rokkr), from P.Gmc. *rukka-, from PIE base *rug- "to spin." Originally "fireworks rocket," meaning "device propelled by a rocket engine" first recorded 1919; rocket-ship first attested 1927. The verb meaning "to spring like a rocket" is from 1883.

rocky --- full of rocks, c.1400, from rock (n.); "unsteady," 1737, from rock (v.1). Meaning "difficult, hard" is recorded from 1873, and may represent a little of both.

rococo --- 1836, "old-fashioned," from Fr. rococo, apparently a humorous alteration of rocaille "shellwork, pebble-work" from M.Fr. roche "rock," from V.L. *rocca "stone." Specifically of furniture or architecture of the time of Louis Quatorze and Louis Quinze, from 1841. The reference is to the excessive use of shell designs in this lavish style. For differentiation from baroque, see baroque. The general sense of "tastelessly florid or ornate" is from 1844.

rod --- O.E. rodd "a rod, pole," related to O.N. rudda "club," of unknown origin. Figurative sense of "offshoot" (1460) led to Biblical meaning "scion, tribe." As an instrument of punishment, attested from c.1150; also used figuratively for "correction, punishment" from notion of beating someone with a stick. As a unit of measure (5.5 yards or 16.5 feet, also called perch or pole) first attested 1450. As a measure of area, "a square perch," from c.1477. Meaning "light-sensitive cell in a retina" is from 1866, so-called for its shape. Slang meaning "penis" is recorded from 1902; that of "gun, revolver" is from 1903.