“ripples” is a form of
ripple
/ˈɹɪp(ə)l/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms ripples rippling rippled reeple riple
- noun A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid. “I dropped a small stone into the pond and watched the ripples spread.”
- noun One of a series of corrugations in flat surface. “The ebbing tide had left ripples in the sand.”
- noun A sound similar to that of undulating water.
- noun A style of ice cream in which flavors have been coarsely blended together. “I enjoy fudge ripple ice cream, but I especially like to dig through the carton to get at the ripple part and eat only that.”
- noun (electronics) A small oscillation of an otherwise steady signal.
- noun (figurative) A small spreading change, impact, or effect produced by a larger or more consequential action.
- verb (intransitive) To move like the undulating surface of a body of water; to undulate.
- verb (intransitive) To propagate like a moving wave.
- verb (intransitive) To make a sound as of water running gently over a rough bottom, or the breaking of ripples on the shore.
- verb (transitive) To shape into a series of ripples.
- verb (transitive) To launch or unleash in rapid succession.
- verb (transitive) To scratch, tear, or break slightly; graze
- noun (textiles) An implement, with teeth like those of a comb, for removing the seeds and seed vessels from flax, broom corn, etc.
- verb To remove the seeds from (the stalks of flax, etc.), by means of a ripple.
- noun (dialectal, historical) thripple, cart ladder (extension for cart or wagon)
- proper noun A village and civil parish in Dover district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR3450).
- proper noun A village and civil parish in Malvern Hills district, Worcestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8737).
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
ruffle rippling riffle wavelet cockle undulate babble guggle burble bubble gurgle
Etymology
From an alteration of rimple.
From Middle English *ripelen, repulen, equivalent to rip + -le (frequentative suffix).
Compare German Low German Repel, Dutch repel, German Riffel, extended forms (with instrumental or diminutive -le) of Low German Repe (“ripple”), Dutch repe (“ripple”). Compare also Dutch repen, German reffen, Swedish repa (“to beat; ripple”).
The verb is from Middle English ripplen, rypelen. Compare Low German repelen, Dutch repelen, German riffeln.
Dialectal form of thripple.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An implement, with teeth like those of a comb, for removing the seeds and seed vessels from flax, broom corn, etc.
- verb To remove the seeds from (the stalks of flax, etc.), by means of a ripple.
- verb Hence, to scratch or tear. Holland.
- verb To become fretted or dimpled on the surface, as water when agitated or running over a rough bottom; to be covered with small waves or undulations, as a field of grain.
Etymology [FRom Rip, v.]
Etymology [Cf. Rimple, Rumple.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ripple”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details