rev

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of revolutions, rpm

verb

1. To increase the speed of a motor, or to operate at a higher speed.
   He revved the engine in a rather macho style.
   You could hear the engines revving from a mile away.
   Two in a row, everybody knows at the green light you rev it on the red line. 1979, Al Greenwood, Lou Gramm, “Rev on the Red Line”, in Head Games
   It is impossible to see inside the mind of a killer. What was he thinking, the young man who sat at the wheel of the white van at the top of Las Ramblas and purposefully revved the engine? What warped ideology, what distorted belief system, what bitter life experience had brought him to this fateful tipping point? August 20, 2017, “The Observer view on the attacks in Spain”, in The Observer

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of revolution

noun

1. revolution (of something spinning)
   Up came the revs again, slam the door shut, kick the stick off the throttle and up through the gears, down the others side! Whee! Made it again! 2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 175

Etymology 3

noun

1. Abbreviation of reverend.