Ralph

name

Etymology: From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz. Reinforced by similar forms brought to England, e.g. Old Norse Ráðúlfr, then in the Norman form Old French Radulf, Radulph. For the sense relating to vomiting, see ralph.

1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.

   “There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory: / The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly”

   “Regarding the correct pronunciation, especially of the name Ralph: according to a friend at the BBC, the possibilities of this name - either aristocratic 'Rafe' or vulgar, almost Australasian 'Ralff' - lie in its potential for wilful mispronunciation against type. I saw him cast confusion into an over-confident studio guest by introducing him as 'Sir Rafe Halpern'. This was nothing to the consternation, almost disintegration of the personality, of the artistic, aloof actor brought on as 'Rolf Fiennes' ('Fiennes', naturally, pronounced superbly).”

2. A surname originating as a patronymic.
3. Fictional person used in references to vomiting.

   “He's outside calling Ralph [i.e. vomiting].”

4. An unincorporated community in Harding County, South Dakota, United States.
5. An unincorporated community in Webster County, West Virginia, United States.

noun

1. A raven.

verb

Etymology: US 1960s, of uncertain origin, apparently derived from a use of the male name Ralph, but perhaps imitative.

1. To vomit.