R, Roentgen, Ra, ragweed, rapacious, ratite, Rubicon

R: this starts a new section, with 64 pages (much less than the s's).

To begin this section of the r’s, here are some ecumenical etymologies: from Latin, Egyptian as well as from German.

 

R: this letter stands for a Roentgen (a unit of x-ray radiation, named for the scientist who discovered x-rays).
 

Ra (Egyptian)  the Egyptian Sun God; their chief deity
 

     Amazingly, Ra originated in the 25th century B.C.  This makes our short span of American history seem so insignificant.   Not surprisingly, beer had a role in Ra’s story...even 4,500 years ago they found a use for alcohol.    When mankind tried to undermine Ra, Ra sent a goddess to punish mankind.  However, she was pacified…with beer mixed with red dye. 

ragweed:  these weeds produce a highly allergenic pollen. 

     Ironically, the name of ragweed's genus is ambrosia
 

rapacious: [L. rapper, to seize]  excessive covetousness, ravenous, voracious
 

ratite: [Latin: rates raft]  /rah tite’/  having a flat breast bone;

     This also refers to specific birds that have a flat breastbone with rudimentary wings, i.e. an ostrich, emu, moa or kiwi
 

Rubicon: [Latin: rubrico red; a river in Northern Italy]  The phrase ‘crossing the Rubincon” connotes an action that commits a person irrevocably.  It is crossing a line that has been symbolically set.

     The actual Rubicon river  in Italy has water that is often colored red by its distinctive mud.  

     Historically, this river separated Cisalpine Gaul (a province of Italy inhabited by the Gauls North of the river ) from Italy proper to the South.   When crossed by Julius Caesar in 49 B.C. it was regarded as an act of war