reeke, seaweed. Golding, Metam. xiv. 38 (L. algae). ME. wreke, of the sea, ‘alga’ (Prompt.). Icel. reki (vreki), seaweed drifted ashore.
reere, a loud noise, a shout. Golding, Metam. xiii. 876; fol. 165, l. 1 (1603); ‘Such a reare of thunder fell’, Hudson, Du Bartas, Judith, ii (NED. s.v. Rear). ME. rere, noise (R. Brunne, Chron. Wace, 10207). See NED. (s.v. Reere).
reez’d, rancid, as bacon. Marston, Scourge of Villainy, Sat. iii. 112. ME. reest, as flesche, ‘rancidus’ (Prompt.). See NED. (s.v. Reesed).
refel, refell, to refute. Meas. for M. v. 1. 94; Lyly, Alexander, ii. 2 (Alex.). L. refellere.
reflect, to turn back. Chapman, tr. of Iliad, ix. 190. L. reflectere (Cicero).
refocillation, a restorative. Middleton, A Mad World, iii. 2 (Pen. B.). L. refocillare, to warm into life again; often used in the Vulgate for the reviving of the spirit: ‘Reversus est spiritus ejus, et refocillatus est’, 1 Reg. xxx. 12 (1 Sam. xxx. 12).
reformado, a disbanded soldier; an officer left without a command (owing to the ‘reforming’ or disbanding of his company), but retaining his rank and receiving full or half pay; ‘A reformado saint’, Butler, Hud. ii. 2. 116; ‘The reformado soldier’, id., ii. 2. 648; B. Jonson, Every Man in Hum. iii. 5. Span. reformado, an officer on half-pay; from reformar, to reduce in number; hence of troops, to discharge, disband (cp. Calderon, El Alcalde de Zalamea, ii. 33). See Stanford.
refuse me, may God reject me; once a very fashionable oath; ‘These wicked elder brothers, that swear refuse them’, Rowley, a Match at Midnight, i. 1 (Tim); ‘God refuse me’, Webster, White Devil, ed. Dyce, p. 7, col. 2 (Flamineo).
regals, pl., a small portable organ with one or two sets of reed-pipes played with one hand, while the other worked a small bellows. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie (ed. Arber, p. 79); Bacon, Sylva, § 172. Norm. F. regales, ‘espèce de petit orgue portatif’ (Moisy).
regalo, a dainty, a choice bit; ‘Servants laden with regalos and delicate choice Dainties’, Mabbe, tr. Life of Guzman, i. 1. 2; ‘Their markets are well furnish’d with all Provisions; witness their Salsicce only, which are a Regalo for a Prince’, R. Lassels, Voy. Italy (ed. 1698, p. 101); spelt (wrongly) regalio, Dryden, Wild Gallant, Epil., 12. Span. ‘regálo, a dainty; also, loving and kind entertainment; regalar, to make much of, to treat daintily’ (Stevens). See Stanford.