| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| rabate | verb | To recover to the fist, as a hawk. |
| rabato | noun | A kind of ruff for the neck; a turned-down collar; a rebato. |
| rabbet | verb t. | To cut a rabbet in; to furnish with a rabbet., To unite the edges of, as boards, etc., in a rabbet joint., A longitudinal channel, groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of any body; especially, one intended to receive another member, so as to break or cover the joint, or more easily to hold the members in place; thus, the groove cut for a panel, for a pane of glass, or for a door, is a rabbet, or rebate., Same as Rabbet joint, below. |
| rabbis | plural | of Rabbi |
| rabbin | noun | Same as Rabbi. |
| rabbit | noun | Any of the smaller species of the genus Lepus, especially the common European species (Lepus cuniculus), which is often kept as a pet, and has been introduced into many countries. It is remarkably prolific, and has become a pest in some parts of Australia and New Zealand. |
| rabble | noun | An iron bar, with the end bent, used in stirring or skimming molten iron in the process of puddling., To stir or skim with a rabble, as molten iron., To speak in a confused manner., A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; a mob; a confused, disorderly throng., A confused, incoherent discourse; a medley of voices; a chatter., Of or pertaining to a rabble; like, or suited to, a rabble; disorderly; vulgar., To insult, or assault, by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate., To utter glibly and incoherently; to mouth without intelligence., To rumple; to crumple. |
| rabies | noun | Same as Hydrophobia (b); canine madness. |
| racing | present participle & vb. noun | of Race, a. & n. from Race, v. t. & i. |
| raceme | noun | A flower cluster with an elongated axis and many one-flowered lateral pedicels, as in the currant and chokecherry. |
| rachis | noun | The spine; the vertebral column., Same as Rhachis. |
| racial | adjective | Of or pertaining to a race or family of men; as, the racial complexion. |
| racily | adverb | In a racy manner. |
| racked | imp. & past participle | of Rack |
| racker | noun | One who racks., A horse that has a racking gait. |
| racket | noun | A thin strip of wood, having the ends brought together, forming a somewhat elliptical hoop, across which a network of catgut or cord is stretched. It is furnished with a handle, and is used for catching or striking a ball in tennis and similar games., A variety of the game of tennis played with peculiar long-handled rackets; — chiefly in the plural., A snowshoe formed of cords stretched across a long and narrow frame of light wood., A broad wooden shoe or patten for a man or horse, to enable him to step on marshy or soft ground., To strike with, or as with, a racket., Confused, clattering noise; din; noisy talk or sport., A carouse; any reckless dissipation., To make a confused noise or racket., To engage in noisy sport; to frolic., To carouse or engage in dissipation. |
| raddle | noun | A long, flexible stick, rod, or branch, which is interwoven with others, between upright posts or stakes, in making a kind of hedge or fence., A hedge or fence made with raddles; — called also raddle hedge., An instrument consisting of a wooden bar, with a row of upright pegs set in it, used by domestic weavers to keep the warp of a proper width, and prevent tangling when it is wound upon the beam of the loom., To interweave or twist together., A red pigment used in marking sheep, and in some mechanical processes; ruddle., To mark or paint with, or as with, raddle. |
| radeau | noun | A float; a raft. |
| radial | adjective | Of or pertaining to a radius or ray; consisting of, or like, radii or rays; radiated; as, (Bot.) radial projections; (Zool.) radial vessels or canals; (Anat.) the radial artery. |
| radian | noun | An arc of a circle which is equal to the radius, or the angle measured by such an arc. |
| radio- | A combining form indicating connection with, or relation to, a radius or ray; specifically (Anat.), with the radius of the forearm; as, radio-ulnar, radio-muscular, radio-carpal. | |
| radish | noun | The pungent fleshy root of a well-known cruciferous plant (Raphanus sativus); also, the whole plant. |
| radius | noun | A right line drawn or extending from the center of a circle to the periphery; the semidiameter of a circle or sphere., The preaxial bone of the forearm, or brachium, corresponding to the tibia of the hind limb. See Illust. of Artiodactyla., A ray, or outer floret, of the capitulum of such plants as the sunflower and the daisy. See Ray, 2., The barbs of a perfect feather., Radiating organs, or color-markings, of the radiates., The movable limb of a sextant or other angular instrument. |
| radula | noun | The chitinous ribbon bearing the teeth of mollusks; — called also lingual ribbon, and tongue. See Odontophore. |
| raffed | imp. & past participle | of Raff |
| raffia | noun | A fibrous material used for tying plants, said to come from the leaves of a palm tree of the genus Raphia. |
| raffle | verb | A kind of lottery, in which several persons pay, in shares, the value of something put up as a stake, and then determine by chance (as by casting dice) which one of them shall become the sole possessor., A game of dice in which he who threw three alike won all the stakes., To engage in a raffle; as, to raffle for a watch., To dispose of by means of a raffle; — often followed by off; as, to raffle off a horse. |
| rafted | imp. & past participle | of Raft |
| rafter | noun | A raftsman., Originally, any rough and somewhat heavy piece of timber. Now, commonly, one of the timbers of a roof which are put on sloping, according to the inclination of the roof. See Illust. of Queen-post., To make into rafters, as timber., To furnish with rafters, as a house., To plow so as to turn the grass side of each furrow upon an unplowed ridge; to ridge. |
| ragged | imp. & past participle | of Rag, Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken; as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail., Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks., Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant., Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow., Rough; shaggy; rugged. |
| raging | present participle & vb. noun | of Rage, a. & n. from Rage, v. i. |
| ragery | noun | Wantonness. |
| raggie | adjective | Alt. of Raggy |
| raglan | noun | A loose overcoat with large sleeves; — named from Lord Raglan, an English general. |
| ragmen | plural | of Ragman |
| ragman | noun | A man who collects, or deals in, rags., A document having many names or numerous seals, as a papal bull. |
| ragout | noun | A dish made of pieces of meat, stewed, and highly seasoned; as, a ragout of mutton. |
| raided | imp. & past participle | of Raid |
| raider | noun | One who engages in a raid. |
| railed | imp. & past participle | of Rail |
| railer | noun | One who rails; one who scoffs, insults, censures, or reproaches with opprobrious language. |
| rained | imp. & past participle | of Rain |
| raised | imp. & past participle | of Raise, Lifted up; showing above the surroundings; as, raised or embossed metal work., Leavened; made with leaven, or yeast; — used of bread, cake, etc., as distinguished from that made with cream of tartar, soda, etc. See Raise, v. t., 4. |
| raiser | noun | One who, or that which, raises (in various senses of the verb). |
| raisin | noun | A grape, or a bunch of grapes., A grape dried in the sun or by artificial heat. |
| raivel | noun | A separator. |
| rajput | noun | A Hindoo of the second, or royal and military, caste; a Kshatriya; especially, an inhabitant of the country of Rajpootana, in northern central India. |
| raking | present participle & vb. noun | of Rake, The act or process of using a rake; the going over a space with a rake., A space gone over with a rake; also, the work done, or the quantity of hay, grain, etc., collected, by going once over a space with a rake. |
| rakery | noun | Debauchery; lewdness. |
| rakish | adjective | Dissolute; lewd; debauched., Having a saucy appearance indicative of speed and dash. |
| rammed | imp. & past participle | of Ram |
| ramage | noun | Boughs or branches., Warbling of birds in trees., Wild; untamed. |
| ramble | verb i. | To walk, ride, or sail, from place to place, without any determinate object in view; to roam carelessly or irregularly; to rove; to wander; as, to ramble about the city; to ramble over the world., To talk or write in a discursive, aimless way., To extend or grow at random., A going or moving from place to place without any determinate business or object; an excursion or stroll merely for recreation., A bed of shale over the seam. |
| rameal | adjective | Same as Ramal. |
| ramean | noun | A Ramist. |
| rament | noun | A scraping; a shaving., Ramenta. |
| ramify | verb t. | To divide into branches or subdivisions; as, to ramify an art, subject, scheme., To shoot, or divide, into branches or subdivisions, as the stem of a plant., To be divided or subdivided, as a main subject. |
| ramist | noun | A follower of Pierre Rame, better known as Ramus, a celebrated French scholar, who was professor of rhetoric and philosophy at Paris in the reign of Henry II., and opposed the Aristotelians. |
| rammel | noun | Refuse matter. |
| rammer | noun | One who, or that which, rams or drives., An instrument for driving anything with force; as, a rammer for driving stones or piles, or for beating the earth to more solidity, A rod for forcing down the charge of a gun; a ramrod, An implement for pounding the sand of a mold to render it compact. |
| ramoon | noun | A small West Indian tree (Trophis Americana) of the Mulberry family, whose leaves and twigs are used as fodder for cattle. |
| ramose | adjective | Branched, as the stem or root of a plant; having lateral divisions; consisting of, or having, branches; full of branches; ramifying; branching; branchy. |
| ramous | adjective | Ramose. |
| ramped | imp. & past participle | of Ramp |
| ramrod | noun | The rod used in ramming home the charge in a muzzle-loading firearm. |
| ramson | noun | A broad-leaved species of garlic (Allium ursinum), common in European gardens; — called also buckram. |
| ramuli | plural | of Ramulus |
| rancho | noun | A rude hut, as of posts, covered with branches or thatch, where herdsmen or farm laborers may live or lodge at night., A large grazing farm where horses and cattle are raised; — distinguished from hacienda, a cultivated farm or plantation. |
| rancid | adjective | Having a rank smell or taste, from chemical change or decomposition; musty; as, rancid oil or butter. |
| rancor | noun | The deepest malignity or spite; deep-seated enmity or malice; inveterate hatred. |
| randan | noun | The product of a second sifting of meal; the finest part of the bran., A boat propelled by three rowers with four oars, the middle rower pulling two. |
| random | noun | Force; violence., A roving motion; course without definite direction; want of direction, rule, or method; hazard; chance; — commonly used in the phrase at random, that is, without a settled point of direction; at hazard., Distance to which a missile is cast; range; reach; as, the random of a rifle ball., The direction of a rake-vein., Going at random or by chance; done or made at hazard, or without settled direction, aim, or purpose; hazarded without previous calculation; left to chance; haphazard; as, a random guess. |
| randon | noun | Random., To go or stray at random. |
| ranged | imp. & past participle | of Range |
| ranger | noun | One who ranges; a rover; sometimes, one who ranges for plunder; a roving robber., That which separates or arranges; specifically, a sieve., A dog that beats the ground in search of game., One of a body of mounted troops, formerly armed with short muskets, who range over the country, and often fight on foot., The keeper of a public park or forest; formerly, a sworn officer of a forest, appointed by the king’s letters patent, whose business was to walk through the forest, recover beasts that had strayed beyond its limits, watch the deer, present trespasses to the next court held for the forest, etc. |
| rangle | verb i. | To range about in an irregular manner. |
| ranine | adjective | Of or pertaining to the frogs and toads., Pertaining to, or designating, a swelling under the tongue; also, pertaining to the region where the swelling occurs; — applied especially to branches of the lingual artery and lingual vein. |
| ranked | imp. & past participle | of Rank |
| ranker | noun | One who ranks, or disposes in ranks; one who arranges. |
| rankle | adjective | To become, or be, rank; to grow rank or strong; to be inflamed; to fester; — used literally and figuratively., To produce a festering or inflamed effect; to cause a sore; — used literally and figuratively; as, a splinter rankles in the flesh; the words rankled in his bosom., To cause to fester; to make sore; to inflame. |
| rankly | adverb | With rank or vigorous growth; luxuriantly; hence, coarsely; grossly; as, weeds grow rankly. |
| rannel | noun | A prostitute. |
| ransom | noun | The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration; redemption; as, prisoners hopeless of ransom., The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner, or for goods captured by an enemy; payment for freedom from restraint, penalty, or forfeit., A sum paid for the pardon of some great offense and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment., To redeem from captivity, servitude, punishment, or forfeit, by paying a price; to buy out of servitude or penalty; to rescue; to deliver; as, to ransom prisoners from an enemy., To exact a ransom for, or a payment on. |
| ranted | imp. & past participle | of Rant |
| ranter | noun | A noisy talker; a raving declaimer., One of a religious sect which sprung up in 1645; — called also Seekers. See Seeker., One of the Primitive Methodists, who seceded from the Wesleyan Methodists on the ground of their deficiency in fervor and zeal; — so called in contempt. |
| ranula | noun | A cyst formed under the tongue by obstruction of the duct of the submaxillary gland. |
| rapped | imp. & past participle | of Rap, of Rap, imp. & p. p. of Rap, to strike., imp. & p. p. of Rap, to snatch away. |
| rapier | noun | A straight sword, with a narrow and finely pointed blade, used only for thrusting. |
| rapine | noun | The act of plundering; the seizing and carrying away of things by force; spoliation; pillage; plunder., Ravishment; rape., To plunder. |
| rappee | verb | A pungent kind of snuff made from the darker and ranker kinds of tobacco leaves. |
| rappel | noun | The beat of the drum to call soldiers to arms. |
| rapper | noun | One who, or that which, raps or knocks; specifically, the knocker of a door., A forcible oath or lie. |
| rapter | noun | A raptor. |
| raptor | noun | A ravisher; a plunderer. |
| rarefy | verb t. | To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; — opposed to condense., To become less dense; to become thin and porous. |
| rarely | adverb | In a rare manner or degree; seldom; not often; as, things rarely seen., Finely; excellently; with rare skill. See 3d Rare, 2. |
| rarity | noun | The quality or state of being rare; rareness; thinness; as, the rarity (contrasted with the density) of gases., That which is rare; an uncommon thing; a thing valued for its scarcity. |
| rascal | verb | One of the rabble; a low, common sort of person or creature; collectively, the rabble; the common herd; also, a lean, ill-conditioned beast, esp. a deer., A mean, trickish fellow; a base, dishonest person; a rogue; a scoundrel; a trickster., Of or pertaining to the common herd or common people; low; mean; base. |
| rasing | present participle & vb. noun | of Rase |
| rasher | noun | A thin slice of bacon., A California rockfish (Sebastichthys miniatus). |
| rashly | adverb | In a rash manner; with precipitation. |
| rasour | noun | Razor. |
| rasped | imp. & past participle | of Rasp |
| rasper | noun | One who, or that which, rasps; a scraper. |
| raspis | noun | The raspberry. |
| rasure | verb | The act of rasing, scraping, or erasing; erasure; obliteration., A mark by which a letter, word, or any part of a writing or print, is erased, effaced, or obliterated; an erasure. |
| ratted | imp. & past participle | of Rat |
| ratany | noun | Same as Rhatany. |
| rating | present participle & vb. noun | of Rate |
| rather | adjective | Prior; earlier; former., Earlier; sooner; before., More readily or willingly; preferably., On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead., Of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat., More properly; more correctly speaking., In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp. |
| ratify | noun | To approve and sanction; to make valid; to confirm; to establish; to settle; especially, to give sanction to, as something done by an agent or servant; as, to ratify an agreement, treaty, or contract; to ratify a nomination. |
| ration | noun | A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence., Hence, a certain portion or fixed amount dealt out; an allowance; an allotment., To supply with rations, as a regiment. |
| ratite | adjective | Of or pertaining to the Ratitae., One of the Ratitae. |
| ratoon | noun | Same as Rattoon, n., A rattan cane., Same as Rattoon, v. i. |
| rattan | noun | One of the long slender flexible stems of several species of palms of the genus Calamus, mostly East Indian, though some are African and Australian. They are exceedingly tough, and are used for walking sticks, wickerwork, chairs and seats of chairs, cords and cordage, and many other purposes. |
| ratten | verb t. | To deprive feloniously of the tools used in one’s employment (as by breaking or stealing them), for the purpose of annoying; as, to ratten a mechanic who works during a strike. |
| ratter | noun | One who, or that which, rats, as one who deserts his party., Anything which catches rats; esp., a dog trained to catch rats; a rat terrier. See Terrier. |
| rattle | verb i. | To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises, as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies shaken together; to clatter., To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering; as, we rattled along for a couple of miles., To make a clatter with the voice; to talk rapidly and idly; to clatter; — with on or away; as, she rattled on for an hour., To cause to make a rattling or clattering sound; as, to rattle a chain., To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise., Hence, to disconcert; to confuse; as, to rattle one’s judgment; to rattle a player in a game., To scold; to rail at., A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the rattle of a drum., Noisy, rapid talk., An instrument with which a rattling sound is made; especially, a child’s toy that rattles when shaken., A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer., A scolding; a sharp rebuke., Any organ of an animal having a structure adapted to produce a rattling sound., The noise in the throat produced by the air in passing through mucus which the lungs are unable to expel; — chiefly observable at the approach of death, when it is called the death rattle. See R/le. |
| raucid | adjective | Hoarse; raucous. |
| raught | imp. & p. p. of Reach., imp. & p. p. of Reck., of Reach | |
| raunch | verb t. | See Ranch. |
| ravage | noun | Desolation by violence; violent ruin or destruction; devastation; havoc; waste; as, the ravage of a lion; the ravages of fire or tempest; the ravages of an army, or of time., To lay waste by force; to desolate by violence; to commit havoc or devastation upon; to spoil; to plunder; to consume. |
| raving | present participle & vb. noun | of Rave, Talking irrationally and wildly; as, a raving lunatic. |
| ravine | noun | Food obtained by violence; plunder; prey; raven., See Raven, v. t. & i., A torrent of water., A deep and narrow hollow, usually worn by a stream or torrent of water; a gorge; a mountain cleft. |
| ravish | verb t. | To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force., To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ecstasy., To have carnal knowledge of (a woman) by force, and against her consent; to rape. |
| rawish | adjective | Somewhat raw. |
| raying | present participle & vb. noun | of Ray |
| razing | present participle & vb. noun | of Raze |
| razeed | imp. & past participle | of Razee |
| razure | noun | The act of erasing or effacing, or the state of being effaced; obliteration. See Rasure., An erasure; a change made by erasing. |
| razzia | noun | A plundering and destructive incursion; a foray; a raid. |