Chapter IV: Front Matter (4)

This is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The
art itself is nature.

Shak.

6. In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.

The rather, the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause.

You are come to me in happy time, The rather for I have some sport
in hand.

Shak.

-- Had rather, or Would rather, prefer to; prefers to; as, he had, or would, rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." 1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under Had.

Rath"ripe` (rth"rp`), a. Rareripe, or early ripe. -- n. A rareripe. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Such who delight in rathripe fruits.

Fuller.

Rat`i*fi*ca"tion (rt`*f*k"shn), n. [Cf. F. ratification.] The act of ratifying; the state of being ratified; confirmation; sanction; as, the ratification of a treaty.

Rat"i*fi`er (rt"*f`r), n. One who, or that which, ratifies; a confirmer. Shak.

Rat"i*fy (-f), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ratified (-fd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ratifying (- f`ng).] [F. ratifier, fr. L. ratus fixed by calculation, firm, valid + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Rate, n., and -fy.] 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.

It is impossible for the divine power to set a seal to a lie by
ratifying an imposture with such a miracle.

South.

Rat`i*ha*bi"tion (-h*bsh"n), n. [L. ratihabitio; ratus fixed, valid + habere to hold.] Confirmation or approbation, as of an act or contract. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Ra"ti*o (r"sh* or r"sh), n. [L., fr. reri, ratus, to reckon, believe, think, judge. See Reason.] 1. (Math.) The relation which one quantity or magnitude has to another of the same kind. It is expressed by the quotient of the division of the first by the second; thus, the ratio of 3 to 6 is expressed by or ½; of a to b by a/b; or (less commonly) the second term is made the dividend; as, a:b = b/a.

Some writers consider ratio as the quotient itself, making ratio equivalent to a number.

The term ratio is also sometimes applied to the difference of two quantities as well as to their quotient, in which case the former is called arithmetical ratio, the latter, geometrical ratio. The name ratio is sometimes given to the rule of three in arithmetic. See under Rule.

2. Hence, fixed relation of number, quantity, or degree; rate; proportion; as, the ratio of representation in Congress.

Compound ratio, Duplicate ratio, Inverse ratio, etc. See under Compound, Duplicate, etc. -- Ratio of a geometrical progression, the constant quantity by which each term is multiplied to produce the succeeding one.

Ra`ti*oc"i*nate (rsh`*s"*nt), v. i. [L. ratiocinatus, p. p. of ratiocinari, fr. ratio reason. See Ratio.] To reason, esp. deductively; to offer reason or argument.

Ra`ti*oc`i*na"tion (-n"shn), n. [L. ratiocinatio: cf. F. ratiocination.] The process of reasoning, or deducing conclusions from premises; deductive reasoning.

Ra`ti*oc"i*na*tive (- s"*n*tv), a. [L. ratiocinativus.] Characterized by, or addicted to, ratiocination; consisting in the comparison of propositions or facts, and the deduction of inferences from the comparison; argumentative; as, a ratiocinative process.

The ratiocinative meditativeness of his character.

Coleridge.

Ra`ti*oc"i*na*to*ry (-n*t*r), a. Ratiocinative. [R.]

Ra"tion (r"shn or rsh"n), n. [F., fr. L. ratio a reckoning, calculation, relation, reference, LL. ratio ration. See Ratio.] 1. A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence.

Officers have several rations, the number varying according to their rank or the number of their attendants.

2. Hence, a certain portion or fixed amount dealt out; an allowance; an allotment.

Ra"tion, v. t. To supply with rations, as a regiment.

Ra"tion*al (rsh"n*al), a. [L. rationalis: cf. F. rationnel. See Ratio, Reason, and cf. Rationale.] 1. Relating to the reason; not physical; mental.

Moral philosophy was his chiefest end; for the rational, the
natural, and mathematics . . . were but simple pastimes in
comparison of the other.

Sir T. North.

2. Having reason, or the faculty of reasoning; endowed with reason or understanding; reasoning.

It is our glory and happiness to have a rational nature.

Law.

3. Agreeable to reason; not absurd, preposterous, extravagant, foolish, fanciful, or the like; wise; judicious; as, rational conduct; a rational man.

4. (Chem.) Expressing the type, structure, relations, and reactions of a compound; graphic; -- said of formulæ. See under Formula.

Rational horizon. (Astron.) See Horizon, 2 (b). -- Rational quantity (Alg.), one that can be expressed without the use of a radical sign, or in exact parts of unity; -- opposed to irrational or radical quantity. -- Rational symptom (Med.), one elicited by the statements of the patient himself and not as the result of a physical examination.

Syn. -- Sane; sound; intelligent; reasonable; sensible; wise; discreet; judicious. -- Rational, Reasonable. Rational has reference to reason as a faculty of the mind, and is opposed to irrational; as, a rational being, a rational state of mind, rational views, etc. In these cases the speculative reason is more particularly referred to. Reasonable has reference to the exercise of this faculty for practical purposes, and means, governed or directed by reason; as, reasonable desires or plans; a reasonable charge; a reasonable prospect of success.

What higher in her society thou find'st Attractive, human,
rational, love still.

Milton.

A law may be reasonable in itself, although a man does not allow
it, or does not know the reason of the lawgivers.

Swift.

Ra"tion*al, n. A rational being. Young.

Ra`tion*a"le (rsh`n*"l), n. [L. rationalis, neut. rationale. See Rational, a.] An explanation or exposition of the principles of some opinion, action, hypothesis, phenomenon, or the like; also, the principles themselves.

Ra"tion*al*ism (rsh"n*al*z'm), n. [Cf. F. rationalisme.] 1. (Theol.) The doctrine or system of those who deduce their religious opinions from reason or the understanding, as distinct from, or opposed to, revelation.

2. (Philos.) The system that makes rational power the ultimate test of truth; -- opposed to sensualism, or sensationalism, and empiricism. Fleming.

Ra"tion*al*ist, n. [Cf. F. rationaliste.] One who accepts rationalism as a theory or system; also, disparagingly, a false reasoner. See Citation under Reasonist.

{ Ra`tion*al*is"tic (-s"tk), Ra`tion*al*is"tic*al (-t*kal), } a. Belonging to, or in accordance with, the principles of rationalism. -- Ra`tion*al*is"tic*al*ly, adv.

Ra`tion*al"i*ty (-l"*t; 277), n.; pl. -ties (- tz). [F. rationalité, or L. rationalitas.] The quality or state of being rational; agreement with reason; possession of reason; due exercise of reason; reasonableness.

When God has made rationality the common portion of mankind, how
came it to be thy inclosure?

Gov. of Tongue.

Well-directed intentions, whose rationalities will never bear a
rigid examination.

Sir T. Browne.

Ra`tion*al*i*za"tion (rsh`n*al**z"shn), n. The act or process of rationalizing.

Ra"tion*al*ize (rsh"n*al*z), v. t. 1. To make rational; also, to convert to rationalism.

2. To interpret in the manner of a rationalist.

3. To form a rational conception of.

4. (Alg.) To render rational; to free from radical signs or quantities.

Ra"tion*al*ize, v. i. To use, and rely on, reason in forming a theory, belief, etc., especially in matters of religion: to accord with the principles of rationalism.

Theodore . . . is justly considered the chief rationalizing doctor
of antiquity.

J. H. Newman.

Ra"tion*al*ly, adv. In a rational manner.

Ra"tion*al*ness, n. The quality or state of being rational; rationality.

||Ra*ti"tæ (r*t"t), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. ratis a raft; cf. L. ratitus ||marked with the figure of a raft.] (Zoöl.) An order of birds in which ||the wings are small, rudimentary, or absent, and the breastbone is ||destitute of a keel. The ostrich, emu, moa, and apteryx are examples.

Rat"i*tate (rt"*tt), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Ratitæ.

Rat"ite (rt"t), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Ratitæ. - - n. One of the Ratitæ.

{ Rat"lines, Rat"lins } (rt"lnz), n. pl. [Of uncertain origin.] (Naut.) The small transverse ropes attached to the shrouds and forming the steps of a rope ladder. [Written also ratlings, and rattlings.] Totten.

Rat"on (rt"n), n. [Cf. Raccoon.] A small rat. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

Ra*toon" (r*tn"), n. 1. Same as Rattoon, n.

2. A rattan cane. [Obs.] Pepys.

Ra*toon", v. i. Same as Rattoon, v. i.

Rats"bane` (rts"bn`), n. [Rat + bane.] Rat poison; white arsenic.

Rats"baned` (-bnd`), a. Poisoned by ratsbane.

Rat"-tail` (rt"tl`), a. Like a rat's tail in form; as, a rat-tail file, which is round, slender, and tapering. See Illust. of File.

Rat"-tail`, n. 1. (Far.) pl. An excrescence growing from the pastern to the middle of the shank of a horse.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The California chimæra. See Chimæra. (b) Any fish of the genus Macrurus. See Grenadier, 2.

Rat"-tailed` (-tld`), a. (Zoöl.) Having a long, tapering tail like that of a rat.

Rat-tailed larva (Zoöl.), the larva of a fly of the genus Eristalis. See Eristalis. -- Rat-tailed serpent (Zoöl.), the fer- de-lance. -- Rat-tailed shrew (Zoöl.), the musk shrew.

Rat*tan" (rt*tn"), n. [Malay rtan.] [Written also ratan.] (Bot.) 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.

Rat*teen" (-tn"), n. [F. ratine.] A thick woolen stuff quilled or twilled.

Rat"ten (rt"t'n), v. t. [Prov. E. ratten a rat, hence the verb literally means, to do mischief like a rat.] 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. [Trades-union Cant] J. McCarthy.

Rat"ter (-tr), n. 1. One who, or that which, rats, as one who deserts his party.

2. Anything which catches rats; esp., a dog trained to catch rats; a rat terrier. See Terrier.

Rat`ti*net" (-t*nt"), n. A woolen stuff thinner than ratteen.

Rat"ting (rt"tng), n. 1. The conduct or practices of one who rats. See Rat, v. i., 1. Sydney Smith.

2. The low sport of setting a dog upon rats confined in a pit to see how many he will kill in a given time.

Rat"tle (-t'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rattled (-t'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Rattling (-tlng).] [Akin to D. ratelen, G. rasseln, AS. hrætele a rattle, in hrætelwyrt rattlewort; cf. Gr. kradai`nein to swing, wave. Cf. Rail a bird.] 1. To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises, as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies shaken together; to clatter.

And the rude hail in rattling tempest forms.

Addison.

'T was but the wind, Or the car rattling o'er the stony street.

Byron.

<! p. 1192 pr=vmg !>

2. To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering; as, we rattled along for a couple of miles. [Colloq.]

3. 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. [Colloq.]

Rat"tle (rt"t'l), v. t. 1. To cause to make a rattling or clattering sound; as, to rattle a chain.

2. To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise.

Sound but another [drum], and another shall As loud as thine rattle
the welkin's ear.

Shak.

3. Hence, to disconcert; to confuse; as, to rattle one's judgment; to rattle a player in a game. [Colloq.]

4. To scold; to rail at. L'Estrange.

To rattle off. (a) To tell glibly or noisily; as, to rattle off a story. (b) To rail at; to scold. "She would sometimes rattle off her servants sharply." Arbuthnot.

Rat"tle, n. 1. A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the rattle of a drum. Prior.

2. Noisy, rapid talk.

All this ado about the golden age is but an empty rattle and
frivolous conceit.

Hakewill.

3. An instrument with which a rattling sound is made; especially, a child's toy that rattles when shaken.

The rattles of Isis and the cymbals of Brasilea nearly enough
resemble each other.

Sir W. Raleigh.

Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw.

Pope.

4. A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.

It may seem strange that a man who wrote with so much perspicuity,
vivacity, and grace, should have been, whenever he took a part in
conversation, an empty, noisy, blundering rattle.

Macaulay.

5. A scolding; a sharp rebuke. [Obs.] Heylin.

6. (Zoöl.) Any organ of an animal having a structure adapted to produce a rattling sound.

The rattle of a rattlesnake is composed of the hardened terminal scales, loosened in succession, but not cast off, and so modified in form as to make a series of loose, hollow joints.

7. 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 Râle.

To spring a rattle, to cause it to sound. -- Yellow rattle (Bot.), a yellow-flowered herb (Rhinanthus Crista-galli), the ripe seeds of which rattle in the inflated calyx.

Rat"tle*box` (-bks`), n. 1. A toy that makes a rattling sound; a rattle.

2. (Bot.) (a) An American herb (Crotalaria sagittalis), the seeds of which, when ripe, rattle in the inflated pod. (b) Any species of Crotalaria, a genus of yellow-flowered herbs, with inflated, many-seeded pods.

Rat"tle-brained` (-brnd`), a. Giddy; rattle-headed.

Rat"tle*head` (-hd`), n. An empty, noisy talker.

Rat"tle-head`ed, a. Noisy; giddy; unsteady.

Rat"tle*mouse` (-mous`), n. A bat. [Obs.] Puttenham.

Rat"tle*pate` (-pt`), n. A rattlehead. C. Kingsley.

Rat"tle-pat`ed, a. Rattle- headed. "A noisy, rattle-pated fellow." W. Irving.

Rat"tler (-tlr), n. One who, or that which, rattles.

Rat"tle*snake` (rt"t'l*snk`), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of venomous American snakes belonging to the genera Crotalus and Caudisona, or Sistrurus. They have a series of horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when shaken. The common rattlesnake of the Northern United States (Crotalus horridus), and the diamond rattlesnake of the South (C. adamanteus), are the best known. See Illust. of Fang.

Ground rattlesnake (Zoöl.), a small rattlesnake (Caudisona, or Sistrurus, miliaria) of the Southern United States, having a small rattle. It has nine large scales on its head. -- Rattlesnake fern (Bot.), a common American fern (Botrychium Virginianum) having a triangular decompound frond and a long- stalked panicle of spore cases rising from the middle of the frond. -- Rattlesnake grass (Bot.), a handsome American grass (Glyceria Canadensis) with an ample panicle of rather large ovate spikelets, each one composed of imbricated parts and slightly resembling the rattle of the rattlesnake. Sometimes called quaking grass. -- Rattlesnake plantain. (Bot.) See under Plantain. -- Rattlesnake root (Bot.), a name given to certain American species of the composite genus Prenanthes (P. alba and P. serpentaria), formerly asserted to cure the bite of the rattlesnake. Called also lion's foot, gall of the earth, and white lettuce. -- Rattlesnake's master. (Bot.) (a) A species of Agave (Agave Virginica) growing in the Southern United States. (b) An umbelliferous plant (Eryngium yuccæfolium) with large bristly-fringed linear leaves. (c) A composite plant, the blazing star (Liatris squarrosa). -- Rattlesnake weed (Bot.), a plant of the composite genus Hieracium (H. venosum); -- probably so named from its spotted leaves. See also Snakeroot.

Rat"tle*trap` (-trp`), n. Any machine or vehicle that does not run smoothly. [Colloq.] A. Trollope.

Rat"tle*weed` (-wd`), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Astragalus. See Milk vetch.

Rat"tle*wings` (-wngz`), n. (Zoöl.) The golden-eye.

Rat"tle*wort` (-wûrt`), n. [AS. hrætelwyrt.] (Bot.) Same as Rattlebox.

Rat"tlings (rt"tlngz), n. pl. (Naut.) Ratlines.

Rat*toon" (rt*tn"), n. [Sp. retoño.] One of the stems or shoots of sugar cane of the second year's growth from the root, or later. See Plant-cane.

Rat*toon", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rattooned (-tnd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Rattooning.] [Cf. Sp. retoñar.] To sprout or spring up from the root, as sugar cane from the root of the previous year's planting.

Rau"cid (r"sd), a. [L. raucus hoarse; cf. LL. raucidus.] Hoarse; raucous. [R.] Lamb.

Rau"ci*ty (r"s*t), n. [L. raucitas, from raucus hoarse: cf. F. raucité.] Harshness of sound; rough utterance; hoarseness; as, the raucity of a trumpet, or of the human voice.

Rau"cous (r"ks), a. [L. raucus.] Hoarse; harsh; rough; as, a raucous, thick tone. "His voice slightly raucous." Aytoun. -- Rau"cous*ly, adv.

Raught (rt), obs. imp. & p. p. of Reach. Shak.

Raught, obs. imp. & p. p. of Reck. Chaucer.

Raunch (rnch), v. t. See Ranch. Spenser.

Raun*soun" (rn*sn"), n. Ransom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Rav"age (rv"j; 48), n. [F., fr. (assumed) L. rapagium, rapaticum, fr. rapere to carry off by force, to ravish. See Rapacious, Ravish.] 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.

Would one think 't were possible for love To make such ravage in a
noble soul?

Addison.

Syn. -- Despoilment; devastation; desolation; pillage; plunder; spoil; waste; ruin.

Rav"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ravaged (-jd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ravaging (-*jng).] [F. ravager. See Ravage, n.] To lay waste by force; to desolate by violence; to commit havoc or devastation upon; to spoil; to plunder; to consume.

Already Cæsar Has ravaged more than half the globe.

Addison.

His lands were daily ravaged, his cattle driven away.

Macaulay.

Syn. -- To despoil; pillage; plunder; sack; spoil; devastate; desolate; destroy; waste; ruin.

Rav"a*ger (-*jr), n. One who, or that which, ravages or lays waste; spoiler.

Rave (rv), obs. imp. of Rive.

Rave, n. [Prov. E. raves, or rathes, a frame laid on a wagon, for carrying hay, etc.] One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.

Rave (rv), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raved (rvd); p. pr. & vb. n. Raving.] [F. rêver to rave, to be delirious, to dream; perhaps fr. L. rabere to rave, rage, be mad or furious. Cf. Rage, Reverie.] 1. To wander in mind or intellect; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging, as a madman.

In our madness evermore we rave.

Chaucer.

Have I not cause to rave and beat my breast?

Addison.

The mingled torrent of redcoats and tartans went raving down the
valley to the gorge of Killiecrankie.

Macaulay.

2. To rush wildly or furiously. Spenser.

3. To talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion or excitement; -- followed by about, of, or on; as, he raved about her beauty.

The hallowed scene Which others rave of, though they know it not.

Byron.

Rave, v. t. To utter in madness or frenzy; to say wildly; as, to rave nonsense. Young.

Rave"hook (rv"hk), n. (Shipbuilding) A tool, hooked at the end, for enlarging or clearing seams for the reception of oakum.

Rav"el (rv"'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raveled (-'ld) or Ravelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Raveling or Ravelling.] [OD. ravelen, D. rafelen, akin to LG. rebeln, rebbeln, reffeln.] 1. To separate or undo the texture of; to take apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a twist; to ravel out a stocking.

Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleave of care.

Shak.

2. To undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.

3. To pull apart, as the threads of a texture, and let them fall into a tangled mass; hence, to entangle; to make intricate; to involve.

What glory 's due to him that could divide Such raveled interests?
has the knot untied?

Waller.

The faith of very many men seems a duty so weak and indifferent, is
so often untwisted by violence, or raveled and entangled in weak
discourses!

Jer. Taylor.

Rav"el, v. i. 1. To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.

2. To fall into perplexity and confusion. [Obs.]

Till, by their own perplexities involved, They ravel more, still
less resolved.

Milton.

3. To make investigation or search, as by picking out the threads of a woven pattern. [Obs.]

The humor of raveling into all these mystical or entangled matters.

Sir W. Temple.

Rav"el*er (-r), n. [Also raveller.] One who ravels.

Rave"lin (rv"ln; 277), n. [F.; cf. Sp. rebellin, It. revellino, rivellino; perhaps fr. L. re- again + vallum wall.] (Fort.) A detached work with two embankments which make a salient angle. It is raised before the curtain on the counterscarp of the place. Formerly called demilune, and half-moon.

Rav"el*ing (rv"'l*ng), n. [Also ravelling.] 1. The act of untwisting or of disentangling.

2. That which is raveled out; esp., a thread detached from a texture.

Ra"ven (r"v'n), n. [AS. hræfn; akin to D. raaf, G. rabe, OHG. hraban, Icel. hrafn, Dan. ravn, and perhaps to L. corvus, Gr. ko`rax. &radic;19.] (Zoöl.) A large black passerine bird (Corvus corax), similar to the crow, but larger. It is native of the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, and is noted for its sagacity.

Sea raven (Zoöl.), the cormorant.

Ra"ven, a. Of the color of the raven; jet black; as, raven curls; raven darkness.

Rav"en (rv"'n), n. [OF. raviné impetuosity, violence, F. ravine ravine. See Ravine, Rapine.] [Written also ravin, and ravine.] 1. Rapine; rapacity. Ray.

2. Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.

Rav"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ravened (-'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ravening.] [Written also ravin, and ravine.]

1. To obtain or seize by violence. Hakewill.

2. To devour with great eagerness.

Like rats that ravin down their proper bane.

Shak.

Rav"en, v. i. To prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show rapacity. [Written also ravin, and ravine.]

Benjamin shall raven as a wolf.

Gen. xlix. 27.

||Rav`e*na"la (rv`*nä"l), n. [Malagasy.] (Bot.) A genus of plants ||related to the banana.

Ravenala Madagascariensis, the principal species, is an unbranched tree with immense oarlike leaves growing alternately from two sides of the stem. The sheathing bases of the leafstalks collect and retain rain water, which flows freely when they are pierced with a knife, whence the plant is called traveler's tree.

Rav"en*er (rv"'n*r), n. 1. One who, or that which, ravens or plunders. Gower.

2. A bird of prey, as the owl or vulture. [Obs.] Holland.

Rav"en*ing, n. Eagerness for plunder; rapacity; extortion. Luke xi. 39.

Rav"en*ing, a. Greedily devouring; rapacious; as, ravening wolves. -- Rav"en*ing*ly, adv.

Rav"en*ous (rv"'n*s), a. [From 2d Raven.] 1. Devouring with rapacious eagerness; furiously voracious; hungry even to rage; as, a ravenous wolf or vulture.

2. Eager for prey or gratification; as, a ravenous appetite or desire.

-- Rav"en*ous*ly, adv. -- Rav"en*ous*ness, n.

Ra"ven's-duck` (r"v'nz-dk`), n. [Cf. G. ravenstuch.] A fine quality of sailcloth. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Rav"er (rv"r), n. One who raves.

Rav"in (rv"'n), a. Ravenous. [Obs.] Shak.

{ Rav"in, Rav"ine } (rv"'n), n. [See 2d Raven.] Food obtained by violence; plunder; prey; raven. "Fowls of ravyne." Chaucer.

Though Nature, red in tooth and claw With ravine, shrieked against
his creed.

Tennyson.

{ Rav"in, Rav"ine, } v. t. & i. See Raven, v. t. & i.

Ra*vine" (r*vn"), n. [F., a place excavated by a torrent, a ravine, fr. ravir to snatch or tear away, L. rapere; cf. L. rapina rapine. See Ravish, and cf. Rapine, Raven prey.] 1. A torrent of water. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

2. A deep and narrow hollow, usually worn by a stream or torrent of water; a gorge; a mountain cleft.

Rav"ing (rv"ng), a. Talking irrationally and wildly; as, a raving lunatic. -- Rav"ing*ly, adv.

Rav"ish (rv"sh), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ravished (-sht); p. pr. & vb. n. Ravishing.] [OE. ravissen, F. ravir, fr. L. rapere to snatch or tear away, to ravish. See Rapacious, Rapid, and - ish.] 1. To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force.

These hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin Will quicken, and
accuse thee.

Shak.

This hand shall ravish thy pretended right.

Dryden.

2. To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ecstasy. "Ravished . . . for the joy." Chaucer.

Thou hast ravished my heart.

Cant. iv. 9.

3. To have carnal knowledge of (a woman) by force, and against her consent; to rape. Shak.

Syn. -- To transport; entrance; enrapture; delight; violate; deflour; force.

Rav"ish*er (-r), n. One who ravishes (in any sense).

Rav"ish*ing, a. Rapturous; transporting.

Rav"ish*ing*ly, adv. In a ravishing manner.

Rav"ish*ment (-ment), n. [F. ravissement. See Ravish.] 1. The act of carrying away by force or against consent; abduction; as, the ravishment of children from their parents, of a ward from his guardian, or of a wife from her husband. Blackstone.

2. The state of being ravished; rapture; transport of delight; ecstasy. Spenser.

In whose sight all things joy, with ravishment Attracted by thy
beauty still to gaze.

Milton.

3. The act of ravishing a woman; rape.

Rav"is*sant (rv"s*snt), a. [F.] (Her.) In a half-raised position, as if about to spring on prey.

<! p. 1193 pr=vmg !>

Raw (r), a. [Compar. Rawer (-r); superl. Rawest.] [AS. hreáw; akin to D. raauw, LG. rau, G. roh, OHG. r, Icel. hrr, Dan. raa, Sw. rå, L. crudus, Gr. kre`as flesh, Skr. kravis raw flesh. &radic;18. Cf. Crude, Cruel.] 1. Not altered from its natural state; not prepared by the action of heat; as, raw sienna; specifically, not cooked; not changed by heat to a state suitable for eating; not done; as, raw meat.

2. Hence: Unprepared for use or enjoyment; immature; unripe; unseasoned; inexperienced; unpracticed; untried; as, raw soldiers; a raw recruit.

Approved himself to the raw judgment of the multitude.

De Quincey.

3. Not worked in due form; in the natural state; untouched by art; unwrought. Specifically: (a) Not distilled; as, raw water. [Obs.] Bacon. (b) Not spun or twisted; as, raw silk or cotton. (c) Not mixed or diluted; as, raw spirits. (d) Not tried; not melted and strained; as, raw tallow. (e) Not tanned; as, raw hides. (f) Not trimmed, covered, or folded under; as, the raw edge of a piece of metal or of cloth.

4. Not covered; bare. Specifically: (a) Bald. [Obs.] "With skull all raw." Spenser (b) Deprived of skin; galled; as, a raw sore. (c) Sore, as if by being galled.

And all his sinews waxen weak and raw Through long imprisonment.

Spenser.

5. Disagreeably damp or cold; chilly; bleak; as, a raw wind. "A raw and gusty day." Shak.

Raw material, material that has not been subjected to a (specified) process of manufacture; as, ore is the raw material used in smelting; leather is the raw material of the shoe industry. -- Raw pig, cast iron as it comes from the smelting furnace.

Raw, n. A raw, sore, or galled place; a sensitive spot; as, to touch one on the raw.

Like savage hackney coachmen, they know where there is a raw.

De Quincey.

Raw"bone` (r"bn`), a. Rawboned. [Obs.] Spenser.

Raw"boned` (-bnd`), a. Having little flesh on the bones; gaunt. Shak.

Raw"head` (r"hd`), n. A specter mentioned to frighten children; as, rawhead and bloodybones.

Raw"hide` (r"hd`), n. A cowhide, or coarse riding whip, made of untanned (or raw) hide twisted.

Raw"ish, a. Somewhat raw. [R.] Marston.

Raw"ly, adv. 1. In a raw manner; unskillfully; without experience.

2. Without proper preparation or provision. Shak.

Raw"ness, n. The quality or state of being raw.

Ray (r), v. t. [An aphetic form of array; cf. Beray.] 1. To array. [Obs.] Sir T. More.

2. To mark, stain, or soil; to streak; to defile. [Obs.] "The filth that did it ray." Spenser.

Ray, n. Array; order; arrangement; dress. [Obs.]

And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray.

Spenser.

Ray, n. [OF. rai, F. rais, fr. L. radius a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf. Radius.] 1. One of a number of lines or parts diverging from a common point or center, like the radii of a circle; as, a star of six rays.

2. (Bot.) A radiating part of a flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius. See Radius.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the radiating spines, or cartilages, supporting the fins of fishes. (b) One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran.

4. (Physics) (a) A line of light or heat proceeding from a radiant or reflecting point; a single element of light or heat propagated continuously; as, a solar ray; a polarized ray. (b) One of the component elements of the total radiation from a body; any definite or limited portion of the spectrum; as, the red ray; the violet ray. See Illust. under Light.

5. Sight; perception; vision; -- from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen.

All eyes direct their rays On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they
gaze.

Pope.

6. (Geom.) One of a system of diverging lines passing through a point, and regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions. See Half-ray.

Bundle of rays. (Geom.) See Pencil of rays, below. -- Extraordinary ray (Opt.), that one of two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which does not follow the ordinary law of refraction. -- Ordinary ray (Opt.), that one of the two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which follows the usual or ordinary law of refraction. -- Pencil of rays (Geom.), a definite system of rays. -- Ray flower, or Ray floret (Bot.), one of the marginal flowers of the capitulum in such composite plants as the aster, goldenrod, daisy, and sunflower. They have an elongated, strap-shaped corolla, while the corollas of the disk flowers are tubular and five-lobed. -- Ray point (Geom.), the common point of a pencil of rays. -- Röntgen ray (rnt"gn) (Phys.), a kind of ray generated in a very highly exhausted vacuum tube by the electrical discharge. It is capable of passing through many bodies opaque to light, and producing photographic and fluorescent effects by which means pictures showing the internal structure of opaque objects are made, called radiographs, or sciagraphs.. So called from the discoverer, W. C. Röntgen. -- X ray, the Röntgen ray; -- so called by its discoverer because of its enigmatical character, x being an algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity.

Ray, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rayed (rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Raying.] [Cf. OF. raier, raiier, rayer, L. radiare to irradiate. See Ray, n., and cf. Radiate.] 1. To mark with long lines; to streak. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. [From Ray, n.] To send forth or shoot out; to cause to shine out; as, to ray smiles. [R.] Thomson.

Ray, v. i. To shine, as with rays. Mrs. Browning.

Ray, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach.] (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Raiæ, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc. (b) In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See Skate.

Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray (Stoasodon nàrinari) of the Southern United States and the West Indies. -- Butterfly ray, a short-tailed American sting ray (Pteroplatea Maclura), having very broad pectoral fins. -- Devil ray. See Sea devil. -- Eagle ray, any large ray of the family Myliobatidæ, or Ætobatidæ. The common European species (Myliobatis aquila) is called also whip ray, and miller. -- Electric ray, or Cramp ray, a torpedo. -- Starry ray, a common European skate (Raia radiata). -- Sting ray, any one of numerous species of rays of the family Trygonidæ having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also stingaree.

||Ra"yah (r"y or rä"y), n. [Ar. ra'iyah a herd, a subject, fr. ra'a to ||pasture, guard.] A person not a Mohammedan, who pays the capitation ||tax. [Turkey]

Ray" grass` (r" grs`). [Etymol. of ray is uncertain.] (Bot.) A perennial European grass (Lolium perenne); -- called also rye grass, and red darnel. See Darnel, and Grass.

Italian ray, or rye, grass. See Darnel, and Grass.

Ray"less (r"ls), a. Destitute of rays; hence, dark; not illuminated; blind; as, a rayless sky; rayless eyes.

Ray"on (r"n), n. [F.] Ray; beam. [Obs.] Spenser.

Ray"on*nant (r"n*nnt), a. [F.] (Her.) Darting forth rays, as the sun when it shines out.

Raze (rz), n. [See Race.] A Shakespearean word (used once) supposed to mean the same as race, a root.

Raze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Razed (rzd); p. pr. & vb. n. Razing.] [F. raser. See Rase, v. t.] [Written also rase.] 1. To erase; to efface; to obliterate.

Razing the characters of your renown.

Shak.

2. To subvert from the foundation; to lay level with the ground; to overthrow; to destroy; to demolish.

The royal hand that razed unhappy Troy.

Dryden.

Syn. -- To demolish; level; prostrate; overthrow; subvert; destroy; ruin. See Demolish.

Razed (rzd), a. Slashed or striped in patterns. [Obs.] "Two Provincial roses on my razed shoes." Shak.

Ra*zee" (r*z"), n. [F. vaisseau rasé, fr. raser to raze, to cut down ships. See Raze, v. t., Rase, v. t.] (Naut.) An armed ship having her upper deck cut away, and thus reduced to the next inferior rate, as a seventy-four cut down to a frigate. Totten.

Ra*zee", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Razeed (r*zd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Razeeing.] To cut down to a less number of decks, and thus to an inferior rate or class, as a ship; hence, to prune or abridge by cutting off or retrenching parts; as, to razee a book, or an article.

Ra"zor (r"zr), n. [OE. rasour, OF. rasur, LL. rasor: cf. F. rasoir, LL. rasorium. See Raze, v. t., Rase, v. t.] 1. A keen-edged knife of peculiar shape, used in shaving the hair from the face or the head. "Take thee a barber's razor." Ezek. v. 1.

-->

2. (Zoöl.) A tusk of a wild boar.

Razor fish. (Zoöl.) (a) A small Mediterranean fish (Coryphæna novacula), prized for the table. (b) The razor shell. -- Razor grass (Bot.), a West Indian plant (Scleria scindens), the triangular stem and the leaves of which are edged with minute sharp teeth. -- Razor grinder (Zoöl.), the European goat-sucker. -- Razor shell (Zoöl.), any marine bivalve shell belonging to Solen and allied genera, especially Solen, or Ensatella, ensis, &and; Americana, which have a long, narrow, somewhat curved shell, resembling a razor handle in shape. Called also razor clam, razor fish, knife handle. -- Razor stone. Same as Novaculite. -- Razor strap, or Razor strop, a strap or strop used in sharpening razors.

Ra"zor*a*ble (-*b'l), a. Ready for the razor; fit to be shaved. [R.] Shak.

Ra"zor*back` (-bk`), n. (Zoöl.) The rorqual.

Ra"zor-backed` (-bkt`), a. (Zoöl.) Having a sharp, lean, or thin back; as, a razor-backed hog, perch, etc.

Ra"zor*bill` (-bl`), n. (Zoöl.) (a) A species of auk (Alca torda) common in the Arctic seas. See Auk, and Illust. in Appendix. (b) See Cutwater, 3.

Ra"zure (r"zhr; 135), n. [See Rasure.] 1. The act of erasing or effacing, or the state of being effaced; obliteration. See Rasure. Shak.

2. An erasure; a change made by erasing.

||Raz"zi*a (rä"z*ä), n. [F., fr. Ar. ghza (pron. razia in Algeria).] A ||plundering and destructive incursion; a foray; a raid.

Re- (r-). [L. re-, older form (retained before vowels) red-: cf. F. re-, ré-.] A prefix signifying back, against, again, anew; as, recline, to lean back; recall, to call back; recede; remove; reclaim, to call out against; repugn, to fight against; recognition, a knowing again; rejoin, to join again; reiterate; reassure. Combinations containing the prefix re- are readily formed, and are for the most part of obvious signification.

Re (r). [It.] (Mus.) A syllable applied in solmization to the second tone of the diatonic scale of C; in the American system, to the second tone of any diatonic scale.

Re`ab*sorb" (r`b*sôrb"), v. t. To absorb again; to draw in, or imbibe, again what has been effused, extravasated, or thrown off; to swallow up again; as, to reabsorb chyle, lymph, etc.; -- used esp. of fluids.

Re`ab*sorp"tion (-sôrp"shn), n. The act or process of reabsorbing.

Re`ac*cess" (r`k*ss" or r*k"ss), n. A second access or approach; a return. Hakewill.

Re`ac*cuse" (r`k*kz"), v. t. To accuse again.

Reach (rch), v. i. To retch. Cheyne.

Reach, n. An effort to vomit. [R.]

Reach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Reached (rcht) (Raught, the old preterit, is obsolete); p. pr. & vb. n. Reaching.] [OE. rechen, AS. rcan, rcean, to extend, stretch out; akin to D. reiken, G. reichen, and possibly to AS. rce powerful, rich, E. rich. &radic;115.] 1. To extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like.

Her tresses yellow, and long straughten, Unto her heeles down they
raughten.

Rom. of R.

Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side.

John xx. 27.

Fruit trees, over woody, reached too far Their pampered boughs.

Milton.

2. Hence, to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over; as, to reach one a book.

He reached me a full cup.

2 Esd. xiv. 39.

3. To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; to extend some part of the body, or something held by one, so as to touch, strike, grasp, or the like; as, to reach an object with the hand, or with a spear.

O patron power, . . . thy present aid afford, Than I may reach the
beast.

Dryden.

4. To strike, hit, or touch with a missile; as, to reach an object with an arrow, a bullet, or a shell.

5. Hence, to extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut, as far as.

If these examples of grown men reach not the case of children, let
them examine.

Locke.

6. To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent; as, his land reaches the river.

Thy desire . . . leads to no excess That reaches blame.

Milton.

7. To arrive at; to come to; to get as far as.

Before this letter reaches your hands.

Pope.

8. To arrive at by effort of any kind; to attain to; to gain; to be advanced to.

The best account of the appearances of nature which human
penetration can reach, comes short of its reality.

Cheyne.

9. To understand; to comprehend. [Obs.]

Do what, sir? I reach you not.

Beau. & Fl.

10. To overreach; to deceive. [Obs.] South.

Reach, v. i. 1. To stretch out the hand.

Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste!

Milton.

2. To strain after something; to make efforts.

Reaching above our nature does no good.

Dryden.

3. To extend in dimension, time, amount, action, influence, etc., so as to touch, attain to, or be equal to, something.

And behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached
to heaven.

Gen. xxviii. 12.

The new world reaches quite across the torrid zone.

Boyle.

4. (Naut.) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the wind nearly abeam.

To reach after or at, to make efforts to attain to or obtain.

He would be in the posture of the mind reaching after a positive
idea of infinity.

Locke.

Reach, n. 1. The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown; as, the fruit is beyond my reach; to be within reach of cannon shot.

2. The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity.

Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters
which they least intended.

Hayward.

Be sure yourself and your own reach to know.

Pope.

3. Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope.

And on the left hand, hell, With long reach, interposed.

Milton.

I am to pray you not to strain my speech To grosser issues, nor to
larger reach Than to suspicion.

Shak.

4. An extended portion of land or water; a stretch; a straight portion of a stream or river, as from one turn to another; a level stretch, as between locks in a canal; an arm of the sea extending up into the land. "The river's wooded reach." Tennyson.

The coast . . . is very full of creeks and reaches.

Holland.

5. An artifice to obtain an advantage.

The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own
underhand to cross the design.

Bacon.

6. The pole or rod which connects the hind axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.

Reach"a*ble (-*b'l), a. Being within reach.

Reach"er (-r), n. 1. One who reaches.

2. An exaggeration. [Obs.] Fuller.

Reach"less, a. Being beyond reach; lofty.

Unto a reachless pitch of praises hight.

Bp. Hall.

Re*act" (r*kt"), v. t. To act or perform a second time; to do over again; as, to react a play; the same scenes were reacted at Rome.

Re*act" (r*kt"), v. i. 1. To return an impulse or impression; to resist the action of another body by an opposite force; as, every body reacts on the body that impels it from its natural state.

<! p. 1194 pr=vmg !>

2. To act upon each other; to exercise a reciprocal or a reverse effect, as two or more chemical agents; to act in opposition.

Re*ac"tion (r*k"shn), n. [Cf. F. réaction.] 1. Any action in resisting other action or force; counter tendency; movement in a contrary direction; reverse action.

2. (Chem.) The mutual or reciprocal action of chemical agents upon each other, or the action upon such chemical agents of some form of energy, as heat, light, or electricity, resulting in a chemical change in one or more of these agents, with the production of new compounds or the manifestation of distinctive characters. See Blowpipe reaction, Flame reaction, under Blowpipe, and Flame.

3. (Med.) An action induced by vital resistance to some other action; depression or exhaustion of vital force consequent on overexertion or overstimulation; heightened activity and overaction succeeding depression or shock.

4. (Mech.) The force which a body subjected to the action of a force from another body exerts upon the latter body in the opposite direction.

Reaction is always equal and opposite to action, that is to say,
the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and in
opposite directions.

Sir I. Newton (3d Law of Motion).

5. (Politics) Backward tendency or movement after revolution, reform, or great progress in any direction.

The new king had, at the very moment at which his fame and fortune
reached the highest point, predicted the coming reaction.

Macaulay.

Reaction time (Physiol.), in nerve physiology, the interval between the application of a stimulus to an end organ of sense and the reaction or resulting movement; -- called also physiological time. -- Reaction wheel (Mech.), a water wheel driven by the reaction of water, usually one in which the water, entering it centrally, escapes at its periphery in a direction opposed to that of its motion by orifices at right angles, or inclined, to its radii.

Re*ac"tion*a*ry (-*r), a. Being, causing, or favoring reaction; as, reactionary movements.

Re*ac"tion*a*ry, n.; pl. Reactionaries (-rz). One who favors reaction, or seeks to undo political progress or revolution.

Re*ac"tion*ist, n. A reactionary. C. Kingsley.

Re*act"ive (r*kt"v), a. [Cf. F. réactif.] Having power to react; tending to reaction; of the nature of reaction. -- Re*act"ive*ly, adv. -- Re*act"ive*ness, n.

Read (rd), n. Rennet. See 3d Reed. [Prov. Eng.]

Read (rd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Read (rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Reading.] [OE. reden, ræden, AS. rdan to read, advise, counsel, fr. rd advice, counsel, rdan (imperf. reord) to advise, counsel, guess; akin to D. raden to advise, G. raten, rathen, Icel. rða, Goth. rdan (in comp.), and perh. also to Skr. rdh to succeed. &radic;116. Cf. Riddle.] 1. To advise; to counsel. [Obs.] See Rede.

Therefore, I read thee, get thee to God's word, and thereby try all
doctrine.

Tyndale.

2. To interpret; to explain; as, to read a riddle.

3. To tell; to declare; to recite. [Obs.]

But read how art thou named, and of what kin.

Spenser.

4. To go over, as characters or words, and utter aloud, or recite to one's self inaudibly; to take in the sense of, as of language, by interpreting the characters with which it is expressed; to peruse; as, to read a discourse; to read the letters of an alphabet; to read figures; to read the notes of music, or to read music; to read a book.

Redeth [read ye] the great poet of Itaille.

Chaucer.

Well could he rede a lesson or a story.

Chaucer.

5. Hence, to know fully; to comprehend.

Who is't can read a woman?

Shak.

6. To discover or understand by characters, marks, features, etc.; to learn by observation.

An armed corse did lie, In whose dead face he read great
magnanimity.

Spenser.

Those about her From her shall read the perfect ways of honor.

Shak.

7. To make a special study of, as by perusing textbooks; as, to read theology or law.

To read one's self in, to read aloud the Thirty-nine Articles and the Declaration of Assent, -- required of a clergyman of the Church of England when he first officiates in a new benefice.

Read, v. i. 1. To give advice or counsel. [Obs.]

2. To tell; to declare. [Obs.] Spenser.

3. To perform the act of reading; to peruse, or to go over and utter aloud, the words of a book or other like document.

So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the
sense.

Neh. viii. 8.

4. To study by reading; as, he read for the bar.

5. To learn by reading.

I have read of an Eastern king who put a judge to death for an
iniquitous sentence.

Swift.

6. To appear in writing or print; to be expressed by, or consist of, certain words or characters; as, the passage reads thus in the early manuscripts.

7. To produce a certain effect when read; as, that sentence reads queerly.

To read between the lines, to infer something different from what is plainly indicated; to detect the real meaning as distinguished from the apparent meaning.

Read, n. [AS. rd counsel, fr. rdan to counsel. See Read, v. t.] 1. Saying; sentence; maxim; hence, word; advice; counsel. See Rede. [Obs.]

2. [Read, v.] Reading. [Colloq.] Hume.

One newswoman here lets magazines for a penny a read.

Furnivall.

Read (rd), imp. & p. p. of Read, v. t. & i.

Read (rd), a. Instructed or knowing by reading; versed in books; learned.

A poet . . . well read in Longinus.

Addison.

Read`a*bil"i*ty (rd`*bl"*t), n. The state of being readable; readableness.

Read"a*ble (rd"*b'l), a. Such as can be read; legible; fit or suitable to be read; worth reading; interesting. -- Read"a*ble*ness, n. -- Read"a*bly, adv.

Re`ad*dress" (r`d*drs"), v. t. To address a second time; -- often used reflexively.

He readdressed himself to her.

Boyle.

Re`a*dept" (-*dpt"), v. t. [Pref. re- + L. adeptus, p. p. of adipisci to obtain.] To regain; to recover. [Obs.]

Re`a*dep"tion (-dp"shn), n. A regaining; recovery of something lost. [Obs.] Bacon.

Read"er (rd"r), n. [AS. rdere.] 1. One who reads. Specifically: (a) One whose distinctive office is to read prayers in a church. (b) (University of Oxford, Eng.) One who reads lectures on scientific subjects. Lyell. (c) A proof reader. (d) One who reads manuscripts offered for publication and advises regarding their merit.

2. One who reads much; one who is studious.

3. A book containing a selection of extracts for exercises in reading; an elementary book for practice in a language; a reading book.

Read"er*ship, n. The office of reader. Lyell.

Read"i*ly (rd"*l), adv. 1. In a ready manner; quickly; promptly. Chaucer.

2. Without delay or objection; without reluctance; willingly; cheerfully.

How readily we wish time spent revoked!

Cowper.

Read"i*ness, n. The state or quality of being ready; preparation; promptness; aptitude; willingness.

They received the word with all readiness of mind.

Acts xvii. 11.

Syn. -- Facility; quickness; expedition; promptitude; promptness; aptitude; aptness; knack; skill; expertness; dexterity; ease; cheerfulness. See Facility.

Read"ing (rd"ng), n. 1. The act of one who reads; perusal; also, printed or written matter to be read.

2. Study of books; literary scholarship; as, a man of extensive reading.

3. A lecture or prelection; public recital.

The Jews had their weekly readings of the law.

Hooker.

4. The way in which anything reads; force of a word or passage presented by a documentary authority; lection; version.

5. Manner of reciting, or acting a part, on the stage; way of rendering. [Cant]

6. An observation read from the scale of a graduated instrument; as, the reading of a barometer.

Reading of a bill (Legislation), its formal recital, by the proper officer, before the House which is to consider it.

Read"ing, a. 1. Of or pertaining to the act of reading; used in reading.

2. Addicted to reading; as, a reading community.

Reading book, a book for teaching reading; a reader. -- Reading desk, a desk to support a book while reading; esp., a desk used while reading the service in a church. -- Reading glass, a large lens with more or less magnifying power, attached to a handle, and used in reading, etc. -- Reading man, one who reads much; hence, in the English universities, a close, industrious student. -- Reading room, a room appropriated to reading; a room provided with papers, periodicals, and the like, to which persons resort.

Re`ad*journ" (r`d*jûrn"), v. t. To adjourn a second time; to adjourn again.

Re`ad*journ"ment (-ment), n. The act of readjourning; a second or repeated adjournment.

Re`ad*just" (-jst"), v. t. To adjust or settle again; to put in a different order or relation; to rearrange.

Re`ad*just"er (-r), n. One who, or that which, readjusts; in some of the States of the United States, one who advocates a refunding, and sometimes a partial repudiation, of the State debt without the consent of the State's creditors.

Re`ad*just"ment (-ment), n. A second adjustment; a new or different adjustment.

Re`ad*mis"sion (-msh"n), n. The act of admitting again, or the state of being readmitted; as, the readmission of fresh air into an exhausted receiver; the readmission of a student into a seminary.

Re`ad*mit" (-mt"), v. t. To admit again; to give entrance or access to again.

Whose ear is ever open, and his eye Gracious to readmit the
suppliant.

Milton.

Re`ad*mit"tance (-tans), n. Allowance to enter again; a second admission.

Re`a*dopt" (r`*dpt"), v. t. To adopt again. Young.

Re`a*dorn" (-dôrn"), v. t. To adorn again or anew.

Re`ad*vance" (r`d*vns"), v. i. To advance again.

Re`ad*vert"en*cy (-vrt"en*s), n. The act of adverting to again, or of reviewing. [R.] Norris.

Read"y (rd"), a. [Compar. Readier (-*r); superl. Readiest.] [AS. rde; akin to D. gereed, bereid, G. bereit, Goth. garáids fixed, arranged, and possibly to E. ride, as meaning originally, prepared for riding. Cf. Array, 1st Curry.] 1. Prepared for what one is about to do or experience; equipped or supplied with what is needed for some act or event; prepared for immediate movement or action; as, the troops are ready to march; ready for the journey. "When she redy was." Chaucer.

2. Fitted or arranged for immediate use; causing no delay for lack of being prepared or furnished. "Dinner was ready." Fielding.

My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come
unto the marriage.

Matt. xxii. 4.

3. Prepared in mind or disposition; not reluctant; willing; free; inclined; disposed.

I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for
the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts xxi. 13.

If need be, I am ready to forego And quit.

Milton.

4. Not slow or hesitating; quick in action or perception of any kind; dexterous; prompt; easy; expert; as, a ready apprehension; ready wit; a ready writer or workman. "Ready in devising expedients." Macaulay.

Gurth, whose temper was ready, though surly.

Sir W. Scott.

5. Offering itself at once; at hand; opportune; convenient; near; easy. "The readiest way." Milton.

A sapling pine he wrenched from out the ground, The readiest weapon
that his fury found.

Dryden.

6. On the point; about; on the brink; near; -- with a following infinitive.

My heart is ready to crack.

Shak.

7. (Mil.) A word of command, or a position, in the manual of arms, at which the piece is cocked and held in position to execute promptly the next command, which is, aim.

All ready, ready in every particular; wholly equipped or prepared. "[I] am all redy at your hest." Chaucer. -- Ready money, means of immediate payment; cash. "'T is all the ready money fate can give." Cowley. -- Ready reckoner, a book of tables for facilitating computations, as of interest, prices, etc. -- To make ready, to make preparation; to get in readiness.

Syn. -- Prompt; expeditious; speedy; unhesitating; dexterous; apt; skillful; handy; expert; facile; easy; opportune; fitted; prepared; disposed; willing; free; cheerful. See Prompt.

Read"y (rd"), adv. In a state of preparation for immediate action; so as to need no delay.

We ourselves will go ready armed.

Num. xxxii. 17.

Read"y, n. Ready money; cash; -- commonly with the; as, he was well supplied with the ready. [Slang]

Lord Strut was not flush in ready, either to go to law, or to clear
old debts.

Arbuthnot.

Read"y, v. t. To dispose in order. [Obs.] Heywood.