The Bible in Spain - Volume II Part 36
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Volume II Part 36

RAJIL. _Arab._ Man.

RANDADO._ Rom._ Written. From _randar_, P. ii. 276.

RATERO. _Span._ Mean, scoundrelly.

RAYA. _Span._ Border, boundary, or frontier.

REAL. _Span._ and _Port._ Royal.

REAL. _Span._ and _Port._ A coin or unit of value. The Spanish plural is _reales_; the Portuguese, _reis_ or _rees_. The Spanish real is worth about 2_d._ English; the Portuguese only 1/20_d._, one thousand reis making the Portuguese dollar, or piece of mil reis, hence called a _milrei_ or _milreis_.

REGATA. _Span._ A small channel, or, conduit.

REJA. _Span._ The iron grating before a window looking on to the street of a town. The recognized trysting-place of a lover and his mistress.

RELACION. _Span._ Relation, story.

REMATAR. _Span._ and _Port._ To end, finish. _Que Dios remate tu nombre_! "May G.o.d blot out your name!"

RENDER. _Span._ and _Port._ To yield, surrender.

REPAnI. _Rom._ Brandy. This word, given in 1876 (_v._ PLAKO), is derived by Pott from _repani_ (_repano_, J.), a radish, the connexion being the sharp taste of both (ii. 274). Remembering the "fire-water" of the Indians, the _aguardiente_ of Spain and Portugal, and the _tattopani_ of the Eng. gypsies, I am tempted to suggest another explanation. J.

gives _ardiente_ = _cari_, and _aguardiente_ = _panicari_. Now _car_ (P.

ii. 125) or _jar_ (_ib._ 171) = heat. Change the order of the words and _caripani_ might shorten into _repani_.

REPOSTERO. _Span._ The butler, or majordomo, in a great house. The _reposteria_ is the plate-room, storeroom, or pantry.

REPUTACION. _Span._ Reputation. _Gente de reputacion_, "swells,"

"swagger people."

REQUISO. _Span._ Requisitioning (from _requerir_). A technical word; the authority that requisitions private property, horses, etc., for the use of the national army in time of war.

REYNA. _Span._ Queen.

RIA. _Span._ and _Port._ An estuary, as the mouth of a river. More particularly applied to the numerous bays on the Galician and Asturian coasts of Northwest Spain.

RO, ROM. _Rom._ A husband; a married gypsy. _Roma_, the husbands, is the generic name of the gypsy nation, or Romany. P. ii. 275; A. 56; Pp.

462; M. viii. 58; McR. 91.

ROMERO. _Span._ Rosemary.

ROMI. _Rom._ A married gypsywoman; fem. of _rom_, a husband; a married gypsy.

ROQUE. _Span._ and _Port._ The "rook," or "castle," at chess. Pers.

_rukh_. The same word is used for the fabulous bird of immense size so often mentioned in Oriental tales.

ROUBLE. _Russ._ A kind of Russian money, either silver or paper. Its present value is about two shillings.

RUAH. Arab, and _Hebr._ Spirit. Used throughout the Old Test, to denote the Spirit of G.o.d, the Holy Spirit.

RUFIANESCO. _Span._ Ruffian, criminal.

RUNE. _Eng._ (1) A letter of the ancient Scandinavian alphabet, usually carved on stone. (2) A short mystic sentence of Scandinavian origin.

Norse and Danish _rune_, Swed. _runa_.

SABIO. _Span._ and _Port._ Learned. King Alfonso X. was surnamed _El Sabio_, which is sometimes erroneously rendered "The Wise." _Sabio_ is, rather, "erudite;" and the king was undoubtedly the most learned man of his time, though his government was not always by any means wise.

SACRO. _Span._ and _Port._ Sacred.

SAFACORO. _Rom._ The city of Seville. P. ii. 248. J. gives _Sevillano_ = _Safacorano_.

SAGADUA, SAGARDUA. _Basque_. Cider; _i.e._ the strong or Spanish cider, called in French Basque _charnoa_ or _sharnoa_, as distinguished from the weak cider which is made from apples rotted in water. A probable etymology is _sagar_ = apple; _arno_ = wine.

SAGRA. _Span._ The name of certain districts in Spain, especially of one lying north of Toledo. The word is probably derived from the Arab _?a?ra_ = a plain. See note, i. 257.

SALAMANQUESA. _Span._ A salamander, or, star-lizard; otherwise called _salamandra_.

SANDIA. _Span._ A water-melon.

SANTIGUO. _Span._ The action of crossing one's self. _Santiguar_ is "to make the sign of the cross."

SANTO. _Span._ and _Port._ Sainted, holy. _La Santa Casa_, the Inquisition.

SANTON. _Span._ A great saint; more especially applied to Moslem recluses. Also, a hypocrite.

SANTURRON. _Span._ A great saint; usually, a great hypocrite.

SARDINHA. _Port._ and _Gal._ A sardine. Borrow's friends, _la gente rufianesca_, have a quaint name for a galley-slave, _apaleador de sardinas_, a sardine-beater. H. 155.

SBA. _Arab._ Morning. More correctly, _?aba?_.

SCHARKI. _Arab._ The East.

SCHARR. See DAOUD.

SCHOPHON. _Heb._ _Shaphan_ (????) A quadruped which chews the cud like a hare (Lev. xi. 5; Deut. xiv. 7); which lives gregariously on rocks, and is remarkable for its cunning (Ps. civ. 18; Prov. x.x.x. 26). The Rabbins render _coney_, or _rabbit_; more correctly the LXX. in three places ?????????????, _i.e._ an animal resembling the _marmot_.

Se. _Span._ I know; from _saber_.

SEA. _Span._ May he be; from _ser_.

SECO. _Span._ and _Port._ Dry. See ii. 82.

SECRETARIO. _Span._ and _Port._ Secretary.

SEGUN. _Span._ According to.