資料來源 : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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it has superseded the musket.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.