English
RPG
RPG comes from Russian РПГ ‘portable rocket launcher’, and goes back to ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт.
- Russianmodernручно́й противота́нковый гранатомётručnój protivotánkovyj granatomjót‘hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher’
- Russian, derivedmodernРПГRPG‘portable rocket launcher’initialism of ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт
- Englishearliest quotation 1981RPG
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Russianmodernручно́й противота́нковый гранатомётručnój protivotánkovyj granatomjót‘hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher’
- Russian, derivedmodernРПГRPG‘portable rocket launcher’initialism of ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт
- Englishearliest quotation 1981RPG
Earliest quotation: 1981, B.P., U.S. Embassy: “However, one group of Americans at the Embassy doesn’t…”
The story
When applied to a "rocket-propelled grenade" it derives from Russian РПГ (RPG), initialism of ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт (ručnój protivotánkovyj granatomjót, “hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher”), of which "rocket-propelled grenade" is a backronym (though an accurate description of the weapon system).folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.
Every English word from Russian ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт
Today it means
name To play a roleplaying game.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Russian ручно́й противота́нковый гранатомёт / RPG