/ ˈræfl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a way of making money for a particular project or organization. People buy tickets with numbers on them and some of these numbers are later chosen to win prizes.
—compare lottery
■ verb
[ vn ] to give sth as a prize in a raffle
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting a kind of dice game): from Old French , of unknown origin. The current sense dates from the mid 18th cent.