rif

¹

or riff

[ rif ]

verb (used with object)

, Informal.

, riffed, rif·fing.

1. to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.

Rif

²

or Riff

[ rif ]

noun

1. Er [er], a mountainous coastal region in N Morocco.

RIF

³

[ rif ]

noun

1. Military. a reduction in the personnel of an armed service or unit.
2. a reduction in the number of persons employed by a business, government department, etc., especially for budgetary reasons.

Rif

/ ˈrɪfɪ; rɪf /

noun

1. RifsRiffsRifisRifRiffRifi a member of a Berber people, inhabiting the Atlas Mountains in Morocco
2. Also calledRifianRiffianˈrɪfɪən the dialect of Berber spoken by this people
3. See Er Rif

Word History and Origins

Origin of rif¹

First recorded in 1945–50; special use of RIF

Origin of rif²

R(eduction) I(n) F(orce)

Example Sentences

Those fissures were exacerbated by the tribal divisions that structure rif society in the north.

From The Daily Beast

Wheat and maize—or, as it is called in the Sudan, "Aish er rif" (Egyptian bread)—ripens in forty days.

From Project Gutenberg

There's a herb called rif in your own garden is good for cures.

From Project Gutenberg

His country is one day east of Tetuan, in the Rif mountains.

From Project Gutenberg

During the year, also, the Rif pirates gave trouble on the shores of northern Africa.

From Project Gutenberg

Epiperipheral, ep-i-pe-rif′e-ral, adj. situated on the periphery or outer surface of the body.

From Project Gutenberg