quondam (en)

(adjective) former, sometime (from Latin)

Rabelaisian (en)

(adjective) of, relating to, or characteristic of Rabelais or his works / (adjective) marked by gross robust humor, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism

Racinian (en)

relating to Jean Racine (1639–1699), French dramatist (primarily a tragedian)

raffia (en)

a species of Palm tree

raffish (en)

(adjective) marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness / (adjective) marked by a careless unconventionality; rakish

raillery (en)

(noun) good-natured ridicule; banter / (noun) jest

raiment (en)

(noun) clothing garments

ramified (en)

spread or branch out

rapacity (en)

aggressive greed

rapprochement (en)

(especially in international affairs) an establishment or resumption of harmonious relations

rarefied (en)

(adjective) being less dense / (adjective) of, relating to, or interesting to a select group; esoteric / (adjective) very high / (verb) to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand without the addition of matter / (verb) to make more spiritual, refined, or abstruse / (verb) to become less dense

ratchet effect (en)

(labor markets) when workers subject to performance pay choose to restrict their output, because they rationally anticipate that firms will respond to higher output levels by raising output requirements or cutting pay

ratiocination (en)

(noun) the process of exact thinking; reasoning / (noun) a reasoned train of thought

rattan (en)

a type of climbing palm often used in furniture

Raubwirtschaft (de)

a specific case of kleptocracy; translates into plunder/predatory/rapine economy, where the whole economy of the state is based on robbery, looting and plundering the conquered territories (either its neighbours, or its own territory, as long as it can)

realpolitik (en)

(noun) politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives

rebarbative (en)

(adjective) repellent irritating

rebound effect (en)

in conservation or energy economics: the reduction in expected gains from new technologies that increase the efficiency of resource use, because of behavioral or other systemic responses (aka the Jevons Paradox; named after William Stanley Jevons, who studied the consumption of coal after steam engines were made more efficient in 1865)

recondite (en)

(adjective) hidden from sight; concealed / (adjective) difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend; deep / (adjective) of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure

rectory (en)

(noun) a benefice held by a rector / (noun) a residence of a rector or a parish priest

redolent (en)

strongly reminiscent or suggestive of

referents (en)

(noun, linguistics) the thing that a word or phrase denotes or stands for

refulgent (en)

(noun) a radiant or resplendent quality or state; brilliance

Regulation Q (en)

Federal Reserve regulation. from 1933 until 2011: imposed various restrictions on the payment of interest on deposit accounts; after 2013: slightly different version setting capital requirements for US banks

reifying (en)

make (something abstract) more concrete or real