Nearby Words

rafter

[raf-ter, rahf-] Origin

raf·ter

1[raf-ter, rahf-]
noun
1.
any of a series of timbers or the like, usually having a pronounced slope, for supporting the sheathing and covering of a roof.
verb (used with object)
2.
British Dialect. to plow (a field) so that the soil of a furrow is pushed over onto an unplowed adjacent strip.

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Rafter is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to flee; abscond:

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English rǣfter; cognate with Middle Low German rafter, Old Norse raptr. See raft1

un·raf·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

raft·er

2[raf-ter, rahf-]
noun
1.
a person who engages in the sport or pastime of rafting.
2.
a person who travels on a raft, especially to flee a country.

raft·er

3[raf-ter, rahf-]
noun
a flock, especially of turkeys.

Origin:
raft2 + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
rafter (ˈrɑːftə)
 
n
any one of a set of sloping beams that form the framework of a roof
 
[Old English ræfter; related to Old Saxon rehter, Old Norse raptr, Old High German rāvo; see raft1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rafter
"sloping timber of a roof," O.E. ræftras (W.Saxon), reftras (Mercian), both plural, related to O.N. raptr (see raft (1)), from P.Gmc. *raf-.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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