Meaning of "riff" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD RIFF

Probably altered and shortened from refrain².

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF RIFF

riff  [rɪf]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RIFF

Riff is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb riff in English.

WHAT DOES RIFF MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Ostinato

In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, usually at the same pitch. The best-known ostinato-based piece may be Ravel's Boléro. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in itself. Both ostinatos and ostinati are accepted English plural forms, the latter reflecting the word's Italian etymology. Strictly speaking, ostinati should have exact repetition, but in common usage, the term covers repetition with variation and development, such as the alteration of an ostinato line to fit changing harmonies or keys. "If the cadence may be regarded as the cradle of tonality, the ostinato patterns can be considered the playground in which it grew strong and self-confident." —Edward E. Lewinsky Within the context of film music, Claudia Gorbman defines an ostinato as a repeated melodic or rhythmic figure, to propel scenes which lack dynamic visual action.

Definition of riff in the English dictionary

The first definition of riff in the dictionary is a short series of chords. Other definition of riff is to play or perform riffs in jazz or rock music. Riff is also to speak amusingly or make.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO RIFF

PRESENT

Present

I riff

you riff

he/she/it riffs

we riff

you riff

they riff

Present continuous

I am riffing

you are riffing

he/she/it is riffing

we are riffing

you are riffing

they are riffing

Present perfect

I have riffed

you have riffed

he/she/it has riffed

we have riffed

you have riffed

they have riffed

Present perfect continuous

I have been riffing

you have been riffing

he/she/it has been riffing

we have been riffing

you have been riffing

they have been riffing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I riffed

you riffed

he/she/it riffed

we riffed

you riffed

they riffed

Past continuous

I was riffing

you were riffing

he/she/it was riffing

we were riffing

you were riffing

they were riffing

Past perfect

I had riffed

you had riffed

he/she/it had riffed

we had riffed

you had riffed

they had riffed

Past perfect continuous

I had been riffing

you had been riffing

he/she/it had been riffing

we had been riffing

you had been riffing

they had been riffing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will riff

you will riff

he/she/it will riff

we will riff

you will riff

they will riff

Future continuous

I will be riffing

you will be riffing

he/she/it will be riffing

we will be riffing

you will be riffing

they will be riffing

Future perfect

I will have riffed

you will have riffed

he/she/it will have riffed

we will have riffed

you will have riffed

they will have riffed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been riffing

you will have been riffing

he/she/it will have been riffing

we will have been riffing

you will have been riffing

they will have been riffing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would riff

you would riff

he/she/it would riff

we would riff

you would riff

they would riff

Conditional continuous

I would be riffing

you would be riffing

he/she/it would be riffing

we would be riffing

you would be riffing

they would be riffing

Conditional perfect

I would have riff

you would have riff

he/she/it would have riff

we would have riff

you would have riff

they would have riff

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been riffing

you would have been riffing

he/she/it would have been riffing

we would have been riffing

you would have been riffing

they would have been riffing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you riff
we let´s riff
you riff

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to riff

Past participle

riffed

Present Participle

riffing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

TRANSLATION OF RIFF

Find out the translation of riff to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of riff from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «riff» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 反复的音乐小节
• Translator English - Spanish: riff
• English: riff
• Translator English - Hindi: riff
• Translator English - Arabic: حثالة
• Translator English - Russian: риф
• Translator English - Portuguese: motivo musical repetido em uma canção
• Translator English - Bengali: Riff
• Translator English - French: riff
• Translator English - Malay: Riff
• Translator English - German: Riff
• Translator English - Japanese: リフ
• Translator English - Korean: 재즈나 락 음악에서 반복되는 악절
• Translator English - Javanese: Riff
• Translator English - Vietnamese: riff
• Translator English - Tamil: ரிஃப்பின்
• Translator English - Marathi: रिफ
• Translator English - Turkish: riff
• Translator English - Italian: riff
• Translator English - Polish: riff
• Translator English - Ukrainian: риф
• Translator English - Romanian: riff
• Translator English - Greek: riff
• Translator English - Afrikaans: riff
• Translator English - Swedish: riff
• Translator English - Norwegian: riff

10 QUOTES WITH «RIFF»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word riff.

1

Kathy Acker

Well, I think writing is basically about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basic melody and then you just riff off of it. And the riffs are about timing.

2

Chad Channing

One of my favorites has always been 'Swap Meet.' One of the reasons why I like that is it's a song that's in a drop-D tuning, and of course, also being a guitar player, it's one of the songs that I really like the riff on it.

3

Evan Dando

When I write a song, it's all about the riff - the riff first, then the words come later.

4

Dimebag Darrell

If you improvise a riff and the crowd immediately reacts to it, you know you're on to something.

5

Dan Hawkins

When I need to nail that riff to the cross, Marshall will always provide the hammer!

6

Geddy Lee

The first song that made me interested in music was 'Oh, Pretty Woman' by Roy Orbison. It was the guitar intro, that riff, that I really liked and made me listen in a different way.

7

Barry Mann

A guitar riff played on a piano doesn't come close to the purity of it being played on a guitar but I faked it enough to get by.

8

Joe Perry

'Back In The Saddle' - I never realised what a good riff that was, or at least how much it satisfied me. And when we play it live, it comes across much better than I ever expected it to.

9

Carl Reiner

Comedians are really writers who don't have pens and pencils about them, but they riff.

10

Johnny Rivers

One thing will lead to another and somebody will come up with a riff or a line or something we build from.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RIFF»

Discover the use of riff in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to riff and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Riff Raff

A brave, wise and deeply moving play delineating the confrontation between culture, and power, between art and politics, between irresponsible freedom and responsible compromise.

Laurence Fishburne, Larry Fishburne, 1997

Killer Riff

Praise for Sheryl J. Anderson “This ‘Sleuth in the City’ stays on her toes as Anderson keeps the story lighthearted and fast-paced.”---Publishers Weekly on Killer Deal “Killer Cocktail is fast-moving and fun, and Molly evinces a ...

Sheryl J. Anderson, 2007

Tinseltown Riff

Tinseltown Riff is a novel of suspense, crime, and Hollywood. Shelly Frome is a professor of dramatic arts emeritus, a former professional actor, a writer of mystery novels and articles and books on theatre and film.

Shelly Frome, 2007

Metallica - Riff by Riff - Guitar

This is a variation of the 2nd Intro Riff. Here, a repeated low E is substituted in the first half of each bar, producing an E Aeolian flavor. The palmmuted halfstep idea that ended the 2nd Intro riff is here in an altered form (roughly inverted and ...

Metallica, 1994

Radio Riff-Raff

Radio. Riff-Raff. Chris Culshaw Riff-raff means 'worthless stuff, trash and rubbish'. That's exactly what Dee and Lee, the dodgy DJs at Radio Riff-Raff, put on air. A play of two acts for up to 1 2 parts. Series editor: John Townsend.

Chris Culshaw, 2002

Riffs: How to Create and Play Great Guitar Riffs Revised and ...

The first half of the book analyzes classic rock riffs and reveals the stories behind their creation. Easy-to-read text describes and explains each riff, supported by illustrations and audio examples.

Rikky Rooksby, 2010

Riff Legacy

Lawrence Rubinoff. Riff Legacy Lawrence Rubinoff iUniverse, Inc. New York Lincoln Shanghai "This On© B06Z-YAP-A9RR Riff Legacy Copyright © 2006 by Lawrence Aaron Rubinoff All.

Lawrence Rubinoff, 2006

Riff, Raffles: Days in the Life of a Pattaya Hotel Owner

we laughed I seriously contemplated changing the name from Jasmine Mansion to Riff Raffles, it just seemed so appropriate. My mirth was cut short by the realisation that I had left my gold neck chain, which had a Buddha pendant and my ...

Kevin Meacher, 2007

Computer Graphics And Multimedia

Table 10.1 The RIFF defines following types of chunks : RIFF chunk : defines the contents of the RIFF file. LIST chunk : allows embedding additional file information such as archival location, copyright information, creation date, and so on.

A.P.Godse, D.A.Godse, 2009

Immortal Heroes Of The World

In 1921, encouraged by the liberation movements in other countries, particularly, the Socialist Revolution in Russia, the Riff renewed their struggle against the colonialists and launched a surprise attack on the Spanish troops stationed on the ...

M S Gill, 2005

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RIFF»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term riff is used in the context of the following news items.

Anna Kendrick Challenges James Corden to a Late Late Show Riff …

"I heard you've been telling people that you're the best acapella singer in town," Kendrick says, before challenging the host to a riff-off. "I think this audience ... «People Magazine, May 15»

Facebook Inc.'s Newest App Is a Riff on Snapchat

And now, Facebook is launching its 2015 version of its Snapchat clone -- Riff. Calling Riff a Snapchat clone is a bit more of a stretch than doing the same for ... «Motley Fool, Apr 15»

Facebook's Newest App Riff Lets Friends Add Clips To Collaborative …

You could start the next Harlem Shake-style crowdsourced video phenomenon with Facebook's new app Riff, out today worldwide in 15 languages on iOS and ... «TechCrunch, Apr 15»

Michael Ricks fatally shot in Riff Music Lounge after argument in …

Michael Ricks was killed and another man was wounded when gunfire erupted inside Riff Music Lounge early Saturday in the South Loop. Ricks was inside the ... «Homicide Watch Chicago, Mar 15»

Riff Raff -- Bodyguard Annihilates Touchy-Feely Fan (VIDEO)

With a devastating hit that would make J.J. Watt jealous, one of Riff Raff's bodyguards absolutely destroyed a fan who made the mistake of jumping onstage and ... «TMZ.com, Mar 15»

Riff Raff Is Ripped and Unrecognizable, Rapper Gains 55 Pounds of …

Riff Raff Rapper Riff Raff (Jody Highroller) is completely ripped and unrecognizable after gaining 55 pounds of muscle -- see before-and-after pictures, plus find ... «Us Magazine, Jan 15»

RiFF RAFF Will Take You to Prom for $28000, If You're Over 18

Are you looking for a cool date to your senior prom? Do you have $28,000 lying around? If the answer to those two questions is “yes,” then RiFF RAFF wants to ... «SPIN, Jan 15»

The Political Folk Song Of The Year

When Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff wrote the song "The Body Electric," she knew it would make its way into the world, and hoped its effects ... «NPR, Dec 14»

P.D. James' mystery riff on Jane Austen comes to TV

The eminent James, 94, was largely applauded for her riff on Jane Austen's much-loved classic. Rhys and Martin, however, saw themselves as interlopers unfit ... «TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press, Oct 14»

Riff Raff Slams Sam Smith for Cropping Him Out of VMAs Photo …

In the photo Smith posted on Instagram, Riff Raff is cut out of the image except for his knee and a couple fingers with what looks like a ring with a seahorse on it. «Radio.com News, Aug 14»