R – Ramadan

R

R is the eighteenth letter of the English Alphabet, and an articulation sui generis, having little or no resemblance in pronunciation to any other letter. But from the position of the tongue in uttering it, it is commutable with l, into which letter it is changed in many words by the Spaniards and Portuguese, and some other nations; as l is also changed into r It is numbered among the liquids and semi-vowels, and is sometimes called the canine letter. It is uttered with a guttural extrusion of the breath, and in some words, particularly at the end or after a labial and a dental letter, with a sort of quivering motion or slight jar of the tongue. Its English uses, which are uniform, may be understood by the customary pronunciation of rod, room, rose, bar, bare, barren, disturb, catarrh, free, brad, pride, drip, drag, drown.

In words which we have received from the Greek language, we follow the Latins, who wrote h after r as the representative of the aspirated sound with which this letter was pronounced by the Greeks. It is the same in the Welsh language. But as the letter is not aspirated in English, h is entirely superfluous; rhapsody, rheum, rhetoric, being pronounced rapsody, reum, retoric.

As an abbreviation, r in English, stands for rex, king, as George r

As a numeral, r in Roman authors, stands for 80, and with a dash over it, for 80, 000. But in Greek, with a small mark over it, signifies 100, and with the same mark under it, it denoted 1000x100, or 100, 000. In Hebrew, denoted 200, and with two horizontal points over it, 1000x200, or 200, 000.

Among physicians, r stands for recipe, take.

Ra

RA, as an inseparable prefix or preposition, is the Latin re, coming to us through the Italian and French, and primarily signifying again, repetition. [See Re.]

Rabate

RABA'TE, verb transitive [See Beat and Abate.]

In falconry, to recover a hawk to the fist.

Rabato

RABA'TO, noun A neckband or ruff. [Not in use.]

Rabbet

RAB'BET, verb transitive

1. To pare down the edge of a board or other piece of timber, for the purpose of receiving the edge of another piece by lapping and thus uniting the two.

2. To lap and unite the edges of boards, etc. In ship carpentry, to let the edge of a plank into the keel.

RAB'BET, noun A cut on the side of a board, etc. to fit it to another by lapping; a joint made by lapping boards, etc.

Rabbet-Plane

RAB'BET-PLANE, noun A joiner's plane for paring or cutting square down the edge of a board, etc.

Rabbeted

RAB'BETED, participle passive Pared down the edge of a board; united by a rabbet joint.

Rabbeting

RAB'BETING, participle present tense Paring down the edge of a board; uniting by a rabbet joint.

Rabbi

RAB'BI,

RAB'BIN, noun

A title assumed by the Jewish doctors, signifying master or lord. This title is not conferred by authority, but assumed or allowed by courtesy to learned men.

Rabbin

RAB'BIN, n. A title assumed by the Jewish doctors, signifying master or lord. This title is not conferred by authority, but assumed or allowed by courtesy to learned men.

Rabbinic

RABBIN'IC,

RABBIN'ICAL, adjective Pertaining to the Rabbins, or to their opinions, learning and language.

RABBIN'IC, noun The language or dialect of the Rabbins; the later Hebrew.

Rabbinism

RAB'BINISM, noun A Rabbinic expression or phraseology; a peculiarity of the language of the Rabbins.

Rabbinist

RAB'BINIST, noun Among the Jews, one who adhered to the Talmud and the traditions of the Rabbins, in opposition to the Caraites, who rejected the traditions.

Rabbinite

RAB'BINITE, noun The same as rabbinist.

Rabbit

RAB'BIT, noun

A small quadruped of the genus Lepus, which feeds on grass or other herbage, and burrows in the earth. The rabbit is said to be less sagacious than the hare. It is a very prolific animal, and is kept in warrens for the sake of its flesh.

Rabble

RAB'BLE, noun [Latin rabula, a brawler, from rabo, to rave.]

1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; the mob; a confused disorderly crowd.

2. The lower class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people.

Rabble-Charming

RAB'BLE-CHARMING, adjective Charming or delighting the rabble.

Rabblement

RAB'BLEMENT, noun A tumultuous crowd of low people. [Not in use.]

Rabdology

RABDOL'OGY, noun [Gr. a rod, and discourse.]

A method of performing mathematical operations by little square rods.

Rabid

RAB'ID, adjective [Latin rabidus, from rabio, rabo, to rage.]

Furious; raging; mad; as a rabid dog or wolf. It is particularly applied to animals of the canine genus, affected with the distemper called rabies, and whose bite communicates hydrophobia.

Rabidness

RAB'IDNESS, noun Furiousness; madness.

Rabinet

RAB'INET, noun A kind of smaller ordnance.

Raca

R'ACA, noun A Syriac word signifying empty, beggarly, foolish; a term of extreme contempt. Matthew 5:22.

Race

RACE, noun [Latin radix and radius having the same original. This word coincides in origin with rod, ray, radiate, etc.]

1. The lineage of a family, or continued series of descendants from a parent who is called the stock. A race is the series of descendants indefinitely. Thus all mankind are called the race of Adam; the Israelites are of the race of Abraham and Jacob. Thus we speak of a race of kings, the race of Clovis or Charlemagne; a race of nobles, etc.

Hence the long race of Alban fathers come.

2. A generation; a family of descendants. A race of youthful and unhandled colts.

3. A particular breed; as a race of mules; a race of horses; a race of sheep.

Of such a race no matter who is king.

4. A root; as race-ginger, ginger in the root or not pulverized.

5. A particular strength or taste of wine; a kind of tartness.

RACE, noun [Latin gradior, gressus, with the prefix g. Eng. ride.]

1. A running; a rapid course or motion, either on the feet, on horseback or in a carriage, etc.; particularly, a contest in running; a running in competition for a prize.

The race was one of the exercises of the Grecian games.

I wield the gauntlet and I run the race

2. Any sunning with speed.

The flight of many birds is swifter than the race of any beast.

3. A progress; a course; a movement or progression of any kind.

My race of glory run.

Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Hebrews 12:1.

4. Course; train; process; as the prosecution and race of the war. [Not now used.]

5. A strong or rapid current of water, or the channel or passage for such a current; as a mill-race.

6. By way of distinction, a contest in the running of horses; generally in the plural. The races commence in October.

RACE, verb intransitive To run swiftly; to run or contend in running. The animals raced over the ground.

Race-Ginger

RACE-GIN'GER, noun Ginger in the root or not pulverized.

Race-Horse

RA'CE-HORSE, noun A horse bred or kept for running in contest; a horse that runs in competition.

Racemation

RACEMA'TION, noun [Latin racemus, a cluster.]

1. A cluster, as of grapes.

2. The cultivation of cluster of grapes.

Raceme

RAC'EME, noun [Latin racemus, a bunch of berries.

In botany a species of inflorescence, consisting of a peduncle with short lateral branches. It is simple or compound, naked or leafy, etc.

Racemiferous

RACEMIF'EROUS, adjective [Latin racemus, a cluster, and fero, to bear.]

Bearing racemes or clusters; as the racemiferous fig-tree.

Racemous

RAC'EMOUS, adjective Growing in racemes or clusters.

Racer

RA'CER, noun [from race.] a runner; one that contends in a race.

And bade the nimblest racer seize the prize.

Rach

RACH, noun A setting dog.

Raciness

RA'CINESS, noun The quality of being racy.

Rack

RACK, noun [Eng. to reach. See Reach and Break.]

1. An engine of torture, used for extorting confessions from criminals or suspected persons. The rack is entirely unknown in free countries.

2. Torture; extreme pain; anguish.

A fit of the stone puts a king to the rack and makes him as miserable as it does the meanest subject.

3. Any instrument for stretching or extending any thing; as a rack for bending a bow.

4. A grate on which bacon is laid.

5. A wooden frame of open work in which hay is laid for horses and cattle for feeding.

6. The frame of bones of an animal; a skeleton. We say, a rack of bones.

7. A frame of timber on a ship's bowsprit.

RACK, noun [Eng. crag.]

The neck and spine of a fore quarter of veal or mutton.

[The two foregoing words are doubtless from one original.]

RACK, noun [See Reek.]

Properly, vapor; hence, thin flying broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapor in the sky.

The winds in the upper region, which move the clouds above, which we call the rack -

The great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, and, like this unsubstantial pageant, faded, leave not a rack behind.

It is disputed however, whether rack in this passage should not be wreck.

RACK, noun [for arrack. See Arrack.] Among the Tartars, a spirituous liquor made of mare's milk which has become sour and is then distilled.

RACK, verb intransitive [See the noun.]

1. Properly, to steam; to rise, as vapor.

[See Reek, which is the word used.]

2. To fly, as vapor or broken clouds.

RACK, verb transitive [from the noun.]

1. To torture; to stretch or strain on the rack or wheel; as, to rack a criminal or suspected person, to extort a confession of his guilt, or compel him to betray his accomplices.

2. To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish; as racked with deep despair.

3. To harass by exaction.

The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants.

4. To stretch; to strain vehemently; to wrest; as, to rack and stretch Scripture; to rack invention.

The wisest among the heathens racked their wits -

5. To stretch; to extend.

RACK, verb transitive

To draw off from the lees; to draw off, as pure liquor from its sediment; as, to rack cider or wine; to rack off liquor.

Rack-Rent

RACK'-RENT, noun An annual rent of the full value of the tenement or near it.

RACK'-RENTED, adjective Subjected to the payment of rack-rent

RACK'-RENTER, noun One that is subjected to pay rack-rent

Racked

RACK'ED, participle passive

1. Tortured; tormented; strained to the utmost.

2. Drawn off, as liquor.

Racker

RACK'ER, noun One that tortures or torments; one that racks.

Racket

RACK'ET, noun [This word belong to the root of crack. See Rocket.]

1. A confused, clattering noise, less loud than uproar; applied to the confused sounds of animal voices, or such voices mixed with other sound. We say, the children make a racket; the racket of a flock of fowls.

2. Clamor; noisy talk.

RACK'ET, verb intransitive To make a confused noise or clamor; to frolic.

RACK'ET, noun

The instrument with which players at tennis strike the ball.

RACK'ET, verb transitive To strike as with a racket

Rackety

RACK'ETY, adjective Making a tumultuous noise.

Racking

RACK'ING, participle present tense

1. Torturing; tormenting; straining; drawing off.

2. adjective Tormenting; excruciating; as a racking pain.

RACK'ING, noun

1. Torture; a stretching on the rack.

2. Torment of the mind; anguish; as the rackings of conscience.

3. The act of stretching cloth on a frame for drying.

4. The act of drawing from the sediment, as liquors.

Racking-Pace

RACK'ING-PACE, noun The racking-pace of a horse is an amble, but with a quicker and shorter tread.

Racoon

RACOON', noun An American quadruped of the genus Ursus. It is somewhat larger than a fox, and its fur is deemed valuable, next to that of the beaver. This animal lodges in a hollow tree, feeds on vegetables, and its flesh is palatable food. It inhabits North America from Canada to the tropics.

Racy

RA'CY, adjective [Latin radix.]

Strong; flavorous; tasting of the soil; as racy cider; racy wine.

Rich racy verses, in which we the soil from which they come, taste, smell and see.

Rad

RAD, the old preterit tense of read.

RAD, RED, ROD, an initial or terminating syllable in names.

Raddle

RAD'DLE, verb transitive

To twist; to wind together. [Not in use.]

RAD'DLE, noun [supra.] A long stick used in hedging; also, a hedge formed by interweaving the shoots and branches of trees or shrubs.

[I believe the two foregoing words are not used in the United States, and probably they are local.]

Raddock

RAD'DOCK,

RA'DIAL, adjective [from Latin radius, a ray, a rod, a spoke. See Radius and Ray.]

Pertaining to the radius or to the fore arm of the human body; as the radial artery or nerve.

The radial muscles are two muscles of the fore arm, one of which bends the wrist, the other extends it.

Radial curves, in geometry, curves of the spiral kind, whose ordinates all terminate in the center of the including circle, and appear like so many semidiameters.

Radial

RA'DIAL, a. [from L. radius, a ray, a rod, a spoke. See Radius and Ray.] Pertaining to the radius or to the fore arm of the human body; as the radial artery or nerve.The radial muscles are two muscles of the fore arm, one of which bends the wrist, the other extends it.Radial curves, in geometry, curves of the spiral kind, whose ordinates all terminate in the center of the including circle, and appear like so many semidiameters.

Radiance

RA'DIANCE,

RA'DIANCY, noun [Latin radians, radio, to beam or shoot rays. See Radius and Ray.]

Properly, brightness shooting in rays or beams; hence in general, brilliant or sparkling luster; vivid brightness; as the radiance of the sun.

The Son girt with omnipotence, with radiance crown'd of majesty divine.

Radiancy

RA'DIANCY, n. [L. radians, radio, to beam or shoot rays. See Radius and Ray.] Properly, brightness shooting in rays or beams; hence in general, brilliant or sparkling luster; vivid brightness; as the radiance of the sun.The Son girt with omnipotence, with radiance crown'd of majesty divine.

Radiant

RA'DIANT, adjective Shooting or darting rays of light; beaming with brightness; emitting a vivid light or splendor; as the radiant sun.

Mark what radiant state she spreads.

Radiant in glittering arms and beamy pride.

RA'DIANT, noun In optics, the luminous point or object from which light emanates, that falls on a mirror or lens.

Radiantly

RA'DIANTLY, adverb With beaming brightness; with glittering splendor.

Radiate

RA'DIATE, verb intransitive [Latin radio. See Ray.]

1. To issue in rays, as light; to dart, as beams of brightness; to shine.

Light radiates from luminous bodies directly to our eyes.

2. To issue and proceed in direct lines from a point.

RA'DIATE, verb transitive To enlighten; to illuminate; to shed light or brightness on. [Usually irradiate.]

RA'DIATE, adjective In botany, a rayed or radiate corol or flower, is a compound flower consisting of a disk, in which the corollets or florets are tubular and regular, and of a ray, in which the florets are irregular.

Or a flower with several semiflosculous florets set round a disk in form of a radiant star.

Radiated

RA'DIATED, participle passive

1. Adorned with rays of light.

2. Having crystals diverging from a center.

Radiating

RA'DIATING, participle present tense Darting rays of light; enlightening; as the radiating point in optics.

Radiation

RADIA'TION, noun [Latin radiatio.]

1. The emission and diffusion of rays of light; beamy brightness.

2. The shooting of any thing from a center, like the diverging rays of light.

Radical

RAD'ICAL, adjective [Latin radicalis, from radix, root. See Race and Ray.]

1. Pertaining to the root or origin; original; fundamental; as a radical truth or error; a radical evil; a radical difference of opinions or systems.

2. Implanted by nature; native; constitutional; as the radical moisture of a body.

3. Primitive; original; underived; uncompounded; as a radical word.

4. Serving to origination.

5. In botany, proceeding immediately from the root; as a radical leaf or peduncle.

RAD'ICAL, noun

1. In philology, a primitive word; a radix, root, or simple underived uncompounded word.

2. A primitive letter; a letter that belongs to the radix.

3. in chimistry, an element, or a simple constituent part of a substance, which is incapable of decomposition.

That which constitutes the distinguishing part of an acid, by its union with oxygen.

Compound radical is the base of an acid composed of two or more substances. Thus a vegetable acid having a radical composed of hydrogen and carbon, is said to be an acid with a compound radical

Radical quantities, in algebra, quantities whose roots may be accurately expressed in numbers. The term is sometimes extended to all quantities under the radical sign.

Radicality

RADICAL'ITY, noun

1. Origination.

2. A being radical; a quantity which has relation to a root.

Radically

RAD'ICALLY, adverb

1. Originally; at the origin or root; fundamentally; as a scheme or system radically wrong or defective.

2. Primitively; essentially; originally; without derivation.

These great orbs thus radically bright.

Radicalness

RAD'ICALNESS, noun The state of being radical or fundamental.

Radicant

RAD'ICANT, adjective [Latin radicans.] In botany, rooting; as a radicant stem or leaf.

Radicate

RAD'ICATE, verb transitive [Latin radicatus, radicor, from radix, root.]

To root; to plant deply and firmly; as radicated opinions; radicated knowledge.

Meditation will radicate these seeds.

Radicated

RAD'ICATED, participle passive or adjective Deeply planted.

- Prejudices of a whole race of people radicated by a succession of ages.

Radication

RADICA'TION, noun [from radicate.]

1. The process of taking root deeply; as the radication of habits.

2. In botany, the disposition of the root of a plant with respect to the ascending and descending caudex and the radicles.

Radicle

RAD'ICLE, noun [Latin radicula, from radix.]

1. That part of the seed of a plant which upon vegetating becomes the root.

2. The fibrous part of a root, by which the stock or main body of it is terminated.

Radiometer

RADIOM'ETER, noun [Latin radius, rod, and Gr. measure.]

The forestaff, an instrument for taking the altitudes of celestial bodies.

Radish

RAD'ISH, noun [See Ruddy.]

A plant of the genus Raphanus, the root of which is eaten raw. Horse-radish is of the genus Cochlearia. Water-radish is of the genus Sisymbrium.

Radius

RA'DIUS, noun [Latin id, a ray, a rod, a beam, a spoke, that is, a shoot; radio, to shine, that is, to dart beams. See Ray.]

1. In geometry, a right line drawn or extending from the center of a circle to the periphery, and hence the semidiameter of the circle. In trigonometry, the radius is the whole sine, or sine of 90 degrees.

2. In anatomy, the exterior bone of the fore arm, descending along with the ulna from the elbow to the wrist.

3. In botany, a ray; the outer part or circumference of a compound radiate flower, or radiated discous flower.

Radix

RA'DIX, noun [Latin a root.]

1. In etymology, a primitive word from which spring other words.

2. In logarithms, the base of any system of logarithms, or that number whose logarithm is unity. Thus in Briggs', or the common system of logarithms, the radix is 10; in Napier's, it is 2.7182818284. All other numbers are considered as some powers or roots of the radix the exponents of which powers or roots, constitute the logarithms of those numbers respectively.

3. In algebra, radix sometimes denotes the root of a finite expression, from which a series is derived.

Raff

R'AFF, verb transitive [Heb.]

To sweep; to snatch, draw or huddle together; to take by a promiscuous sweep. obsolete

Their causes and effects I thus raff up together.

R'AFF, noun

1. The sweepings of society; the rabble; the mob. This is used chiefly in the compound or duplicate, riff-raff.

2. A promiscuous heap or collection; a jumble.

Raffle

RAF'FLE, verb intransitive [Heb. to strive. See Raff.]

To cast dice for a prize, for which each person concerned in the game lays down a stake, or hazards a part of the value; as, to raffle for a watch.

RAF'FLE, noun A game of chance, or lottery in which several persons deposit a part of the value of the thing, in consideration of the chance of gaining it. The successful thrower of the dice takes or sweeps the whole.

Raffler

RAF'FLER, noun One who raffles.

Raffling

RAF'FLING, participle present tense The act of throwing dice for a prize staked by a number.

Raft

R'AFT, noun [Gr. to sew that is, to fasten together, and allied to reeve; or Gr. whence a flooring. See Rafter and Roof.]

An assemblage of boards, planks or pieces of timber fastened together horizontally and floated down a stream; a float.

R'AFT, participle passive [Latin rapio; bereafian, to snatch away, to bereave.]

Torn; rent; severed. obsolete

Rafter

R'AFTER, noun [Gr. to cover; a roof.]

A roof timber; a piece of timber that extends from the plate of a building to the ridge and serves to support the covering of the roof.

Raftered

R'AFTERED, adjective Built or furnished with rafters.

Rafty

R'AFTY, adjective Damp; musty. [Local.]

Rag

RAG, noun [Gr. a torn garment; tear; a rupture, a rock, a crag; to tear asunder.]

1. Any piece of cloth torn from the rest; a tattered cloth, torn or worn till its texture is destroyed. Linen and cotton rags are the chief materials of paper.

2. Garments worn out; proverbially, mean dress.

Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Proverbs 23:21.

And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.

3. A fragment of dress.

RAG. verb transitive

To scold; to rail. [Local.]

Ragamuffin

RAGAMUF'FIN, noun

A paltry fellow; a mean wretch.

RAG'-BOLT, noun An iron pin with barbs on its shank to retain it in its place.

Rage

RAGE, noun [Heb. to grind or gnash the teeth.]

1. Violent anger accompanied with furious words, gestures or agitation; anger excited to fury. Passion sometimes rises to rage

Torment and loud lament and furious rage

2. Vehemence or violent exacerbation of any thing painful; as the rage of pain; the rage of a fever; the rage of hunger or thirst.

3. Fury; extreme violence; as the rage of a tempest.

4. Enthusiasm; rapture.

Who brought green poesy to her perfect age, and made that art which was a rage

5. Extreme eagerness or passion directed to some object; as the rage for money.

You purchase pain with all that joy can give, and die of nothing but a rage to live.

RAGE, verb intransitive

1. To be furious with anger; to be exasperated to fury; to be violently agitated with passion.

At this he inly rag'd.

2. To be violent and tumultuous.

Why do the heathen rage? Psalms 2:1.

3. To be violently driven or agitated; as the raging sea or winds.

4. To ravage; to prevail without restraint, or with fatal effect; as, the plague rages in Cairo.

5. To be driven with impetuosity; to act or move furiously.

The chariots shall rage in the streets. Nahum 2.

The madding wheels of brazen chariots rag'd.

6. To toy wantonly; to sport. [Not in use.]

Rageful

RA'GEFUL, adjective Full of rage; violent; furious.

Ragery

RA'GERY, noun Wantonness. [Not used.]

Ragg

RAGG, noun Rowley ragg a species of silicious stone, of a dusky or dark gray color, with shining crystals, of a granular texture, and by exposure to the air acquiring an ochery crust.

Ragged

RAG'GED, adjective [from rag.]

1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till its texture is broken; as a ragged coat; a ragged sail.

2. Broken with rough edges; uneven; as a ragged rock.

3. Having the appearance of being broken or torn; jagged; rough with sharp or irregular points.

The moon appears, when looked upon through a good glass, rude and ragged

4. Wearing tattered clothes; as a ragged fellow.

5. Rough; rugged.

What shepherd owns those ragged sheep?

Raggedness

RAG'GEDNESS, noun

1. The state of being dressed in tattered clothes.

2. The state of being rough or broken irregularly; as the raggedness of a cliff.

Raging

RA'GING, participle present tense [from rage.]

1. Acting with violence or fury.

2. adjective Furious; impetuous; vehemently driven or agitated; as the raging sea or tempest.

RA'GING, noun Fury; violence; impetuosity. Jonah 1:15.

Ragingly

RA'GINGLY, adverb With fury; with violent impetuosity.

Ragman

RAG'MAN, noun A man who collects or deals in rags, the materials of paper.

Ragmans-Roll

RAGMAN'S-ROLL, noun A roll or register of the value of benefices in Scotland, made by Ragimund, a legate of the pope, according to which the clergy were afterwards taxed by the court of Rome. [See Rigmarole.]

Ragoo

RAGOO',

RAGOUT, noun A sauce or seasoning for exciting a languid appetite; or a high seasoned dish, prepared with fish, flesh, greens and the like, stewed with salt, pepper, cloves, etc.

Ragout

RAGOUT, n. A sauce or seasoning for exciting a languid appetite; or a high seasoned dish, prepared with fish, flesh, greens and the like, stewed with salt, pepper, cloves, &c.

Ragstone

RAG'STONE, noun A stone of the silicious kind, so named from its rough fracture. It is of a gray color, the texture obscurely laminar or rather fibrous, the lamins consisting of a congeries of grains of a quartzy appearance, coarse and rough. It effervesces with acids, and gives fire with steel. It is used for a whetstone without oil or water, for sharpening coarse cutting tools.

Ragwort

RAG'WORT, noun A plant of the genus Senecio.

Rail

RAIL, noun

1. A cross beam fixed at the ends in two upright posts.

[In New England, this is never called a beam; pieces of timber of the proper size for rails are called scantling.]

2. In the United States, a piece of timber cleft, hewed or sawed, rough or smooth, inserted in upright posts for fencing. The common rails among farmers, are rough, being used as they are split from the chestnut or other trees. The rails used in fences of boards or pickets round gentlemen's houses and gardens, are usually sawed scantling and often dressed with the plane.

3. A bar of wood or iron used for inclosing any place; the piece into which ballusters are inserted.

4. A series of posts connected with cross beams, by which a place is inclosed.

In New England we never call this series a rail but by the general term railing. In a picket fence, the pales or pickets rise above the rails; in a ballustrade, or fence resembling it, the ballusters usually terminate in the rails.

5. In a ship, a narrow plank nailed for ornament or security on a ship's upper works; also, a curved piece of timber extending from the bows of a ship to the continuation of its stern, to support the knee of the head, etc.

RAIL, noun A bird of the genus Rallus, consisting of many species. The water rail has a long slender body with short concave wings. The birds of the genus inhabit the slimy margins of rivers and ponds covered with marsh plants.

RAIL, noun

A woman's upper garment; retained in the word nightrail, but not used in the United States.

RAIL, verb transitive

1. To inclose with rails.

2. To range in a line.

RAIL, verb intransitive [Eng. to brawl.]

To utter reproaches; to scoff; to use insolent and reproachful language; to reproach or censure in opprobrious terms; followed by at or against, formerly by on.

And rail at arts he did not understand.

Lesbia forever on me rails.

Rail-Bird

RAIL-BIRD, noun A bird of the genus Cuculus.

Railer

RA'ILER, noun One who scoffs, insults, censures or reproaches with opprobrious language.

Railing

RA'ILING, participle present tense

1. Clamoring with insulting language; uttering reproachful words.

2. adjective Expressing reproach; insulting; as a railing accusation. 2 Peter 2:11.

RA'ILING, noun Reproachful or insolent language. 1 Peter 3:9.

RA'ILING, participle present tense Inclosing with rails.

RA'ILING, noun

1. A series of rails; a fence.

2. Rails in general; or the scantling for rails.

Railingly

RA'ILINGLY, adverb With scoffing or insulting language.

Raillery

RA'ILLERY, noun

Banter; jesting language; good humored pleasantry or slight satire; satirical merriment.

Let raillery be without malice or heat.

- Studies employed on low objects; the very naming of them is sufficient to turn them into raillery

Railleur

RA'ILLEUR, noun A banterer; a jester; a mocker. [Not English nor in use.]

Raiment

RA'IMENT, noun [for arrayment. See Array and Ray.]

1. Clothing in general; vestments; vesture; garments.

Genesis 24:53. Deuteronomy 8:4.

Living, both food and raiment she supplies.

2. A single garment.

[In this sense it is rarely used, and indeed is improper.]

Rain

RAIN, verb intransitive [It seems that rain is contracted from regen. It is the Gr. to rain to water, which we retain in brook, and the Latins, by dropping the prefix, in rigo, irrigo, to irrigate. The primary sense is to pour out, to drive forth. Heb.]

1. To fall in drops from the clouds, as water; used mostly with it for a nominative; as, it rains; it will rain; it rained, or it has rained.

2. To fall or drop like rain; as, tears rained at their eyes.

RAIN, verb transitive To pour or shower down from the upper regions, like rain from the clouds.

Then said the Lord to Moses, behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. Exodus 14:1.

God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating. Job 20:23.

Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and horrible tempest. Psalms 11:6.

RAIN, noun The descent of water in drops from the clouds; or the water thus falling. rain is distinguished from mist, by the size of the drops, which are distinctly visible. When water falls in very small drops or particles, we call it mist, and fog is composed of particles so fine as to be not only indistinguishable, but to float or be suspended in the air.

Rain-Deer

RA'IN-DEER, noun

The rane, a species of the cervine genus. [See Rane.]

Rain-Water

RA'IN-WATER, noun Water that has fallen from the clouds.

Rainbat

RA'INBAT, adjective Beaten or injured by the rain. [Not used.]

Rainbow

RA'INBOW, noun A bow, or an arch of a circle, consisting of all the colors formed by the refraction and reflection of rays of light from drops of rain or vapor, appearing in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun. When the sun is at the horizon, the rainbow is a semicircle. The rainbow is called also iris.

The moon sometimes forms a bow or arch of light, more faint than that formed by the sun, and called lunar rainbow Similar bows at sea are called marine rainbows or sea bows.

Raininess

RA'ININESS, noun [from rainy.] The state of being rainy.

Rainy

RA'INY, adjective Abounding with rain; wet; showery; as rainy weather; a rainy day or season.

Raise

RAISE, verb transitive raze. [This word occurs often in the Gothic version of the gospels, Luke 3:8. John 6:40, 44. These verbs appear to be the Latin gradior, gressus, without the prefix. Latin to go to walk, to pass.]

1. To lift; to take up; to heave; to lift from a low or reclining posture; as, to raise a stone or weight; to raise the body in bed.

The angel smote Peter on the side and raised him up.

Acts 12:7.

2. To set upright; as, to raise a mast.

3. To set up; to erect; to set on its foundations and put together; as, to raise the frame of a house.

4. To build; as, to raise a city, a fort, a wall, etc.

I will raise forts against thee. Isaiah 29:3. Amos 9:11.

5. To rebuild.

They shall raise up the former desolations. Isaiah 61:4.

6. To form to some height by accumulation; as, to raise a heap of stones. Joshua 8:29.

7. To make; to produce; to amass; as, to raise a great estate out of small profits.

8. To enlarge; to amplify.

9. To exalt; to elevate in condition; as, to raise one from a low estate.

10. To exalt; to advance; to promote in rank or honor; as, to raise one to an office of distinction.

This gentleman came to be raised to great titles.

11. To enhance; to increase; as, to raise the value of coin; to raise the price of goods.

12. To increase in current value.

the plate pieces of eight were raised three pence in the piece.

13. To excite; to put in motion or action; as, to raise a tempest or tumult.

He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind. Psalms 107:1.

14. To excite to sedition, insurrection, war or tumult; to stir up. Acts 24:5.

AEneas then employs his pains in parts remote to raise the Tuscan swains.

15. To rouse; to awake; to stir up.

They shall not awake, not be raised out of their sleep. Job 14:12.

16. To increase in strength; to excite from languor or weakness. The pulse is raised by stimulants, sometimes by venesection.

17. To give beginning of importance to; to elevate into reputation; as, to raise a family.

18. To bring into being.

God vouchsafes to raise another word for him.

19. To bring from a state of death to life.

He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Romans 4:24. 1 Corinthians 15:15.

20. To call into view from the state of separate spirits; as, to raise a spirit by spells and incantations.

21. To invent and propagate; to originate; to occasion; as, to raise a report or story.

22. To set up; to excite; to begin by loud utterance; as, to raise a shout or cry.

23. To utter loudly; to begin to sound or clamor. He raised his voice against the measures of administration.

24. To utter with more strength or elevation; to swell. Let the speaker raise his voice.

25. To collect; to obtain; to bring into a sum or fund. Government raises money by taxes, excise and imposts. Private persons and companies raise money for their enterprises.

26. To levy; to collect; to bring into service; as, to raise troops; to raise an army.

27. To give rise to.

28. To cause to grow; to procure to be produced, bred or propagated; as, to raise wheat, barley, hops, etc.; to raise horses, oxen or sheep.

[The English now use grow in regard to crops; as, to grow wheat. This verb intransitive has never been used in New England in a transitive sense, until recently some persons have adopted it from the English books. We always use raise but in New England it is never applied to the breeding of the human race, as it is in the southern states.]

29. To cause to swell, heave and become light; as, to raise dough or paste by yeast or leaven.

Miss Liddy can dance a jig and raise paste.

30. To excite; to animate with fresh vigor; as, to raise the spirits or courage.

31. To ordain; to appoint; or to call to and prepare; to furnish with gifts and qualification suited to a purpose; a Scriptural sense.

I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren. Deuteronomy 18:15.

For this cause have I raised thee up, to show in thee my power. Exodus 9:16. Judges 2:16.

32. To keep in remembrance. Ruth 4:5.

33. To cause to exist by propagation. Matthew 22:24.

34. To incite; to prompt. Ezra 1:5.

35. To increase in intensity or strength; as, to raise the heat of a furnace.

36. In seamen's language, to elevate, as an object by a gradual approach to it; to bring to be seen at a greater angle; opposed to laying; as, to raise the land; to raise a point.

To raise a purchase, in seamen's language, is to dispose instruments or machines in such a manner as to exert any mechanical force required.

To raise a siege, is to remove a besieging army and relinquish an attempt to take the place by that mode of attack, or to cause the attempt to be relinquished.

Raised

RA'ISED, participle passive Lifted; elevated; exalted; promoted; set upright; built; made or enlarged; produced; enhanced; excited; restored to life; levied; collected; roused; invented and propagated; increased.

Raiser

RA'ISER, noun One who raises; that which raises; one that builds; one that levies or collects; one that begins, produces or propagates.

Raisin

RAISIN, noun razn.

A dried grape. Grapes are suffered to remain on the vines till they are perfectly ripe, and then dried in an oven, or by exposure to the heat of the sun. Those dried in the sun are the sweetest.

Raising

RA'ISING, participle present tense Lifting; elevating; setting upright; exalting; producing; enhancing; restoring to life; collecting; levying; propagating, etc.

RA'ISING, noun

1. The act of lifting, setting up, elevating, exalting, producing, or restoring to life.

2. In New England, the operation or work of setting up the frame of a building.

Raja

RA'JA, noun [Latin rex, regis.] In India, a prince. some of the rajahs are said to be independent princes; others are tributary to the Mogul.

Rajah

RA'JAH,

RA'JAHSHIP, noun The dignity or principality of a rajah

Rake

RAKE, noun

An instrument consisting of a head-piece in which teeth are inserted, and a long handle; used for collecting hay or other light things which are spread over a large surface, or in gardens for breaking and smoothing the earth.

RAKE, noun

A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a man addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices.

RAKE, noun

1. The projection of the upper parts of a ship, at the height of the stem and stern, beyond the extremities of the keel. The distance between a perpendicular line from the extremity of stem or stern to the end of the keel, is the length of the rake; one the fore-rake, the other the rake-aft.

2. The inclination of a mast from a perpendicular direction.

RAKE, verb transitive [Latin frico.]

1. Properly, to scrape; to rub or scratch with something rough; as, to rake the ground.

2. To gather with a rake; as, to rake hay or barley.

3. To clear with a rake; to smooth with a rake; as, to rake a bed in a garden; to rake land.

4. To collect or draw together something scattered; to gather by violence; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town.

5. To scour; to search with eagerness all corners of a place.

The statesman rakes the town to find a plot.

6. In the military art, to enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of any thing; particularly in naval engagement, to rake is to cannonade a ship on the stern or head, so that the

balls range the whole length of the deck. Hence the phrase, to rake a ship fore and aft.

To rake up, applied to fire, is to cover the fire with ashes.

RAKE, verb intransitive

1. To scrape; to scratch into for finding something; to search minutely and meanly; as, to rake into a dunghill.

2. To search with minute inspection into every part.

One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words.

3. To pass with violence or rapidity.

Pas could not stay, but over him did rake

4. To seek by raking; as, to rake for oysters.

5. To lead a dissolute, debauched life.

6. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.

Raked

RA'KED, participle passive Scraped; gathered with a rake; cleaned with a rake; cannonaded fore and aft.

Rakehell

RA'KEHELL, noun

A lewd, dissolute fellow; a debauchee; a rake.

Rakehelly

RA'KEHELLY, adjective Dissolute; wild.

Raker

RA'KER, noun One that rakes.

Rakeshame

RA'KESHAME, noun A vile dissolute wretch.

Raking

RA'KING, participle present tense

1. Scraping; gathering with a rake; cleaning and smoothing with a rake; cannonading in the direction of the length; inclining.

And raking chase-guns through our sterns they send.

2. adjective That rakes; as a raking fire or shot.

RA'KING, noun

1. The act of using a rake; the act or operation of collecting with a rake, or of cleaning and smoothing with a rake.

2. The space of ground raked at once; or the quantity of hay, etc. collected by once passing the rake.

Rakish

RA'KISH, adjective Given to a dissolute life; lewd; debauched.

Rakishness

RA'KISHNESS, noun Dissolute practices.

Rally

RAL'LY, verb transitive [This seems to be a compound of re, ra, and lier, Latin ligo, to unite.]

1. To reunite; to collect and reduce to order troops dispersed or thrown into confusion.

2. To collect; to unite; as things scattered.

RAL'LY, verb transitive [See Raillery.]

To treat with good humor and pleasantry, or with slight contempt or satire, according to the nature of the case.

Honeycomb rallies me upon a country life.

Strephon had long confess'd his am'rous pain, which gay Corinna rallied with disdain.

RAL'LY, verb intransitive

1. To assemble; to unite.

Innumerable parts of matter chanced then to rally together and to form themselves into this new world.

2. To come back to order.

The Grecians rally and their pow'rs unite.

3. To use pleasantry or satirical merriment.

RAL'LY, noun

1. The act of bringing disordered troops to their ranks.

2. Exercise of good humor or satirical merriment.

Ram

RAM, noun [See the Verb.]

1. The male of the sheep or ovine genus; in some parts of England called a tup. In the United States, the word is applied, I believe, to no other male, except in the compound ram-cat.

2. In astronomy, Aries, the sign of the zodiac which the sun enters on the 21st of March, or a constellation of fixed stars in the figure of a ram It is considered the first of the twelve signs.

3. An engine of war, used formerly for battering and demolishing the walls of cities; called a battering-ram. [See Battering-ram.]

RAM, verb transitive [Latin ramus, a branch that is a shoot or thrust. Heb. See Cram.]

1. To thrust or drive with violence; to force in; to drive down or together; as, to ram down a cartridge; to ram piles into the earth.

2. To drive, as with a battering ram

3. To stuff; to cram.

Ramadan

RAM'ADAN, noun Among the Mohammedans, a solemn season of fasting.