Chapter CCCLXI: Prologue (12)

RADIOGRAPH Ra"di*o*graph, n. Etym: [Radio- + -graph.] (Phys.)

Defn: A picture produced by the Röntgen rays upon a sensitive surface, photographic or fluorescent, especially a picture of opaque objects traversed by the rays.

RADIOGRAPHY Ra`di*og"ra*phy, n.

Defn: Art or process of making radiographs. -- Ra`di*o*graph"ic (#), *graph"ic*al (#), a. --Ra`di*o*graph"ic*al*ly, adv.

RADIOLARIA Ra`di*o*la"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Radioli.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Order of rhizopods, usually having a siliceous skeleton, or shell, and sometimes radiating spicules. The pseudopodia project from the body like rays. It includes the polycystines. See Polycystina.

RADIOLARIAN Ra`di*o*la"ri*an, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Radiolaria. -- n.

Defn: One of the Radiolaria.

RADIOLI Ra*di"o*li, n. pl.; sing. Radiolus (. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. radius radius: cf. L. radiolus a feeble sunbeam.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The barbs of the radii of a feather; barbules.

RADIOLITE Ra"di*o*lite, n. Etym: [L. radius ray + -lite: cf. F. radiolithe.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A hippurite.

RADIOMETER Ra`di*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. radius radius + -meter: cf. F. radiomètre.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A forestaff.

2. (Physics)

Defn: An instrument designed for measuring the mechanical effect of radiant energy.

Note: It consists of a number of light discs, blackened on one side, placed at the ends of extended arms, supported on an a pivot in an exhausted glass vessel. When exposed to rays of light or heat, the arms rotate.

RADIOMETRY Ra`di*om"e*try, n. (Physics)

Defn: The use of the radiometer, or the measurement of radiation. -- Ra`di*o*met"ric (#), a.

RADIOMICROMETER Ra`di*o*mi*crom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Radio- + micrometer.] (Physics)

Defn: A very sensitive modification or application of the thermopile, used for indicating minute changes of radiant heat, or temperature.

RADIOPHARE Ra"di*o*phare, n. [Radio- + phare.]

Defn: A radiotelegraphic station serving solely for determining the position of ships. The radius of operation of such stations was restricted by the International Radiotelegraphic Convention (1912) to 30 nautical miles.

RADIOPHONE Ra"di*o*phone, Etym: [Radio- + Gr. (Physics)

Defn: An apparatus for the production of sound by the action of luminous or thermal rays. It is essentially the same as the photophone.

RADIOPHONY Ra`di*oph"o*ny, n. (Physics)

Defn: The art or practice of using the radiophone.

RADIOPTICON Ra`di*op"ti*con, n. [Radio-+ stereopticon.]

Defn: See Projector, above.

RADIOSCOPY Ra`di*os"co*py, n. [Radio- + -scopy.]

Defn: Direct observation of objects opaque to light by means of some other form of radiant energy, as the Röntgen rays. -- Ra`di*o*scop"ic (#), *scop"ic*al (#), a.

RADIOTELEGRAM Ra`di*o*tel"e*gram, n.

Defn: A message transmitted by radiotelegraph.

RADIOTELEGRAPH Ra`di*o*tel"e*graph, n. [Radio-+ telegraph.]

Defn: A wireless telegraph.

RADIOTELEGRAPHIC Ra`di*o*tel`e*graph"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to radiotelegraphy; employing, or used or employed in, radiotelegraphy.

RADIOTELEGRAPHY Ra`di*o*te*leg"ra*phy, n. [Radio- + telegraphy.]

Defn: Telegraphy using the radiant energy of electrical (Hertzian) waves; wireless telegraphy; -- the term adopted for use by the Radiotelegraphic Convention of 1912.

RADIOTELEPHONE Ra`di*o*tel"e*phone, n.

Defn: A wireless telephone. -- Ra`di*o*te*leph"o*ny (#), n.

RADIOTHERAPY Ra`di*o*ther"a*py, n. [Radio-+ therapy.] (Med.)

Defn: Treatment of disease by means of Röntgen rays or other forms of radioactivity.

RADIOTHORIUM Ra`di*o*tho"ri*um, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A radioactive substance apparently formed as a product from thorium.

RADIOUS Ra"di*ous, a. Etym: [L. radiosus.]

1. Consisting of rays, and light. [R.] Berkeley.

2. Radiating; radiant. [Obs.] G. Fletcher.

RADISH Rad"ish, n. Etym: [F. radis; cf. It. radice, Pr. raditz: all fr. L. radix, -icis, a root, an edible root, especially a radish, akin to E. wort. See Wort, and cf. Eradicate, Race a root, Radix.] (Bot.)

Defn: The pungent fleshy root of a well-known cruciferous plant (Paphanus sativus); also, the whole plant. Radish fly (Zoöl.), a small two-winged fly (Anthomyia raphani) whose larvæ burrow in radishes. It resembles the onion fly. -- Rat-tailed radish (Bot.), an herb (Raphanus caudatus) having a long, slender pod, which is sometimes eaten. -- Wild radish (Bot.), the jointed charlock.

RADIUM Ra`di*um, n. [NL., fr. L. radius ray.] (Chem.)

Defn: An intensely radioactive metallic element found (combined) in minute quantities in pitchblende, and various other uranium minerals. Symbol, Ra; atomic weight, 226.4. Radium was discovered by M. and Mme. Curie, of Paris, who in 1902 separated compounds of it by a tedious process from pitchblende. Its compounds color flames carmine and give a characteristic spectrum. It resembles barium chemically. Radium preparations are remarkable for maintaining themselves at a higher temperature than their surroundings, and for their radiations, which are of three kinds: alpha rays, beta rays, and gamma rays (see these terms). By reason of these rays they ionize gases, affect photographic plates, cause sores on the skin, and produce many other striking effects. Their degree of activity depends on the proportion of radium present, but not on its state of chemical combination or on external conditions.The radioactivity of radium is therefore an atomic property, and is explained as result from a disintegration of the atom. This breaking up occurs in at least seven stages; the successive main products have been studied and are called radium emanation or exradio, radium A, radium B, radium C, etc. (The emanation is a heavy gas, the later products are solids.) These products are regarded as unstable elements, each with an atomic weight a little lower than its predecessor. It is possible that lead is the stable end product. At the same time the light gas helium is formed; it probably consists of the expelled alpha particles. The heat effect mentioned above is ascribed to the impacts of these particles. Radium, in turn, is believed to be formed indirectly by an immeasurably slow disintegration of uranium.

RADIUS Ra"di*us, n.; pl. L. Radii; E. Radiuses. Etym: [L., a staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, radius, ray. See Ray a divergent line.]

1. (Geom.)

Defn: A right line drawn or extending from the center of a circle to the periphery; the semidiameter of a circle or sphere.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The preaxial bone of the forearm, or brachium, corresponding to the tibia of the hind limb. See Illust. of Artiodactyla.

Note: The radius is on the same side of the limb as the thumb, or pollex, and in man it so articulated that its lower end is capable of partial rotation about the ulna.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: A ray, or outer floret, of the capitulum of such plants as the sunflower and the daisy. See Ray, 2.

4. pl. (Zoöl.) (a) The barbs of a perfect. (b) Radiating organs, or color-markings, of the radiates.

5. The movable limb of a sextant or other angular instrument. Knight. Radius bar (Math.), a bar pivoted at one end, about which it swings, and having its other end attached to a piece which it causes to move in a circular arc. -- Radius of curvature. See under Curvature.

RADIUS VECTOR Ra"di*us vec"tor.

1. (Math.)

Defn: A straight line (or the length of such line) connecting any point, as of a curve, with a fixed point, or pole, round which the straight line turns, and to which it serves to refer the successive points of a curve, in a system of polar coördinates. See Coördinate, n.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: An ideal straight line joining the center of an attracting body with that of a body describing an orbit around it, as a line joining the sun and a planet or comet, or a planet and its satellite.

RADIX Ra"dix, n.; pl. Radices, E. Radixes. Etym: [L. radix, -icis, root. See Radish.]

1. (Philol.)

Defn: A primitive, from which spring other words; a radical; a root; an etymon.

2. (Math.) (a) A number or quantity which is arbitrarily made the fundamental number of any system; a base. Thus, 10 is the radix, or base, of the common system of logarithms, and also of the decimal system of numeration. (b) (Alg.) A finite expression, from which a series is derived. [R.] Hutton.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: The root of a plant.

RADULA Rad"u*la, n.; pl. Radulæ. Etym: [L., a scraper, fr. radere to scrape.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The chitinous ribbon bearing the teeth of mollusks; -- called also lingual ribbon, and tongue. See Odontophore.

RADULIFORM Ra*du"li*form, a. Etym: [L. radula a scraper + -form.]

Defn: Rasplike; as, raduliform teeth.

RAFF Raff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Raffing.] Etym: [OF. raffer, of German origin; cf. G. raffen; akin to E. rap to snatch. See Rap, and cf. Riffraff, Rip to tear.]

Defn: To sweep, snatch, draw, or huddle together; to take by a promiscuous sweep. [Obs.] Causes and effects which I thus raff up together. Carew.

RAFF Raff, n.

1. A promiscuous heap; a jumble; a large quantity; lumber; refuse. "A raff of errors." Barrow.

2. The sweepings of society; the rabble; the mob; -- chiefly used in the compound or duplicate, riffraff.

3. A low fellow; a churl. Raff merchant, a dealer in lumber and odd refuse. [Prov. Eng.]

RAFFAELESQUE Raf`fa*el*esque", a.

Defn: Raphaelesque.

RAFFIA Raf"fi*a, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A fibrous material used for tying plants, said to come from the leaves of a palm tree of the genus Raphia. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

RAFFIA PALM Raf"fi*a palm. (a) A pinnate-leaved palm (Raphia ruffia) native of Madagascar, and of considerable economic importance on account of the strong fiber (raffia) obtained from its leafstalks. (b) The jupati palm.

RAFFINOSE Raf"fi*nose`, n. Etym: [F. raffiner to refine.] (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless crystalline slightly sweet substance obtained from the molasses of the sugar beet.

RAFFISH Raff"ish, a.

Defn: Resembling, or having the character of, raff, or a raff; worthless; low. A sad, raffish, disreputable character. Thackeray.

RAFFLE Raf"fle, n. Etym: [F. rafle; faire rafle to sweep stakes, fr. rafter to carry or sweep away, rafler tout to sweep stakes; of German origin; cf. G. raffeln to snatch up, to rake. See Raff, v.]

1. 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.

2. A game of dice in which he who threw three alike won all the stakes. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

RAFFLE Raf"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raffled; p. pr. & vb. n. Raffling.]

Defn: To engage in a raffle; as, to raffle for a watch.

RAFFLE Raf"fle, v. t.

Defn: To dispose of by means of a raffle; -- often followed by off; as, to raffle off a horse.

RAFFLER Raf"fler, n.

Defn: One who raffles.

RAFFLESIA Raf*fle"si*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named from its discoverer, Sir S. Raffle.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of stemless, leafless plants, living parasitically upon the roots and stems of grapevines in Malaysia. The flowers have a carrionlike odor, and are very large, in one species (Rafflesia Arnoldi) having a diameter of two or three feet.

RAFT Raft, obs.

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Reave. Spenser.

RAFT Raft, n. Etym: [Originally, a rafter, spar, and fr. Icel. raptr a rafter; akin to Dan. raft, Prov. G. raff a rafter, spar; cf. OHG. rafo, ravo, a beam, rafter, Icel. raf roof. Cf. Rafter, n.]

1. A collection of logs, boards, pieces of timber, or the like, fastened, together, either for their own collective conveyance on the water, or to serve as a support in conveying other things; a float.

2. A collection of logs, fallen trees, etc. (such as is formed in some Western rivers of the United States), which obstructs navigation. [U.S.]

3. Etym: [Perhaps akin to raff a heap.]

Defn: A large collection of people or things taken indiscriminately. [Slang, U. S.] "A whole raft of folks." W. D. Howells. Raft bridge. (a) A bridge whose points of support are rafts. (b) A bridge that consists of floating timbers fastened together. -- Raft duck. Etym: [The name alludes to its swimming in dense flocks.] (Zoöl.) (a) The bluebill, or greater scaup duck; -- called also flock duck. See Scaup. (b) The redhead. -- Raft port (Naut.), a large, square port in a vessel's side for loading or unloading timber or other bulky articles; a timber or lumber port.

RAFT Raft, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rafted; p. pr. & vb. n. Rafting.]

Defn: To transport on a raft, or in the form of a raft; to make into a raft; as, to raft timber.

RAFTE Raf"te, obs.

Defn: imp. of Reave. Chaucer.

RAFTER Raft"er, n.

Defn: A raftsman.

RAFTER Raft"er, n. Etym: [AS. ræfter; akin to E. raft, n. See Raft.] (Arch.)

Defn: 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. [Courtesy] oft is sooner found in lowly sheds, With smoky rafters, than in tapestry halls. Milton.

RAFTER Raft"er, v. t.

1. To make into rafters, as timber.

2. To furnish with rafters, as a house.

3. (Agric.)

Defn: To plow so as to turn the grass side of each furrow upon an unplowed ridge; to ridge. [Eng.]

RAFTING Raft"ing, n.

Defn: The business of making or managing rafts.

RAFTSMAN Rafts"man, n.; pl. Raftsmen (.

Defn: A man engaged in rafting.

RAFTY Raf"ty, a. Etym: [Perhaps akin to G. reif hoarfrost.]

Defn: Damp; musty. [Prov. Eng.]

RAG Rag, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Icel. rægja to calumniate, OHG, ruogen to accuse, G. rügen to censure, AS. wregan, Goth. wrohjan to accuse.]

Defn: To scold or rail at; to rate; to tease; to torment; to banter. [Prov. Eng.] Pegge.

RAG Rag, n. Etym: [OE. ragge, probably of Scand, origin; cf. Icel. rögg rough hair. Cf. Rug, n.]

1. A piece of cloth torn off; a tattered piece of cloth; a shred; a tatter; a fragment. Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed, And fluttered into rags. Milton. Not having otherwise any rag of legality to cover the shame of their cruelty. Fuller.

2. pl.

Defn: Hence, mean or tattered attire; worn-out dress. And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm. Dryden.

3. A shabby, beggarly fellow; a ragamuffin. The other zealous rag is the compositor. B. Jonson. Upon the proclamation, they all came in, both tag and rag. Spenser.

4. (Geol.)

Defn: A coarse kind of rock, somewhat cellular in texture.

5. (Metal Working)

Defn: A ragged edge.

6. A sail, or any piece of canvas. [Nautical Slang] Our ship was a clipper with every rag set. Lowell. Rag bolt, an iron pin with barbs on its shank to retain it in place. -- Rag carpet, a carpet of which the weft consists of narrow of cloth sewed together, end to end. -- Rag dust, fine particles of ground-up rags, used in making papier-maché and wall papers. -- Rag wheel. (a) A chain wheel; a sprocket wheel. (b) A polishing wheel made of disks of cloth clamped together on a mandrel. -- Rag wool, wool obtained by tearing woolen rags into fine bits, shoddy.

RAG Rag, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ragged; p. pr. & vb. n. Ragging.]

Defn: To become tattered. [Obs.]

RAG Rag, v. t.

1. To break (ore) into lumps for sorting.

2. To cut or dress roughly, as a grindstone.

RAGABASH; RAGABRASH Rag"a*bash`, Rag"a*brash`, n.

Defn: An idle, ragged person. Nares. Grose.

RAGAMUFFIN Rag`a*muf"fin, n. Etym: [Cf. Ragamofin, the name of a demon in some of the old mysteries.]

1. A paltry or disreputable fellow; a mean which. Dryden.

2. A person who wears ragged clothing. [Colloq.]

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The long-tailed titmouse. [Prov. Eng.]

RAGE Rage, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. rabies, fr. rabere to rave; cf. Skr. rabh to seize, rabhas violence. Cf. Rabid, Rabies, Rave.]

1. Violent excitement; eager passion; extreme vehemence of desire, emotion, or suffering, mastering the will. "In great rage of pain." Bacon. He appeased the rage of hunger with some scraps of broken meat. Macaulay. Convulsed with a rage of grief. Hawthorne.

2. Especially, anger accompanied with raving; overmastering wrath; violent anger; fury. torment, and loud lament, and furious rage. Milton.

3. A violent or raging wind. [Obs.] Chaucer.

4. The subject of eager desire; that which is sought after, or prosecuted, with unreasonable or excessive passion; as, to be all the rage.

Syn. -- Anger; vehemence; excitement; passion; fury. See Anger.

RAGE Rage, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raged; p. pr. & vb. n. Raging.] Etym: [OF. ragier. See Rage, n.]

1. To be furious with anger; to be exasperated to fury; to be violently agitated with passion. "Whereat he inly raged." Milton. When one so great begins to rage, he a hunted Even to falling. Shak.

2. To be violent and tumultuous; to be violently driven or agitated; to act or move furiously; as, the raging sea or winds. Why do the heathen rage Ps. ii. 1. The madding wheels Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise. Milton.

3. To ravage; to prevail without restraint, or with destruction or fatal effect; as, the plague raged in Cairo.

4. To toy or act wantonly; to sport. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Syn. -- To storm; fret; chafe; fume.

RAGE Rage, v. t.

Defn: To enrage. [Obs.] Shak.

RAGEFUL Rage"ful, a.

Defn: Full of rage; expressing rage. [Obs.] "Rageful eyes." Sir P. Sidney.

RAGERY Ra"ger*y, n.

Defn: Wantonness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

RAGGED Rag"ged, a. Etym: [From Rag, n.]

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

2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks.

3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. [R.] "A ragged noise of mirth." Herbert.

4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.

5. Rough; shaggy; rugged. What shepherd owns those ragged sheep Dryden. Ragged lady (Bot.), the fennel flower (Nigella Damascena). -- Ragged robin (Bot.), a plant of the genus Lychnis (L. Flos- cuculi), cultivated for its handsome flowers, which have the petals cut into narrow lobes. -- Ragged sailor (Bot.), prince's feather (Polygonum orientale). -- Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; -- a name given at first because they came in their common clothing. [Eng.] -- Rag"ged*ly, adv. -- Rag"ged*ness, n.

RAGGIE; RAGGY Rag"gie, or; Rag"gy, a.

Defn: Ragged; rough. [Obs.] "A stony and raggie hill." Holland.

RAGHUVANSA Ragh`u*van"sa, n. Etym: [Skr. Raguvamsça.]

Defn: A celebrated Sanskrit poem having for its subject the Raghu dynasty.

RAGING Ra"ging,

Defn: a. & n. from Rage, v. i. -- Ra"*ging*ly, adv.

RAGIOUS Ra"gious, a.

Defn: Raging; furious; rageful. [Obs.] -- Ra"gious*ness, n. [Obs.]

RAGLAN Rag"lan, n.

Defn: A loose overcoat with large sleeves; -- named from Lord Raglan, an English general.

RAGMAN Rag"man, n.; pl. Ragmen (.

Defn: A man who collects, or deals in, rags.

RAGMAN Rag"man, n. Etym: [See Ragman's roll.]

Defn: A document having many names or numerous seals, as a papal bull. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

RAGMAN'S ROLL Rag"man's roll`. Etym: [For ragman roll a long list of names, the devil's roll or list; where ragman is of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. ragmenni a craven person, Sw. raggen the devil. Icel. ragmenni is fr. ragr cowardly (another form of argr, akin to AS. earg cowardly, vile, G. arg bad) + menni (in comp.) man, akin to E. man. See Roll, and cf. Rigmarole.]

Defn: The rolls of deeds on parchment in which the Scottish nobility and gentry subscribed allegiance to Edward I. of England, A. D. 1296. [Also written ragman-roll.]

RAGNAROK; RAGNAROK Rag"na*rok", Rag"na*rök", n. [Icel., fr. regin, rögn, gods + rök reason, origin, history; confused with ragna-rökr the twilight of the gods.] (Norse Myth.)

Defn: The so-called "Twilight of the Gods" (called in German Götterdämmerung), the final destruction of the world in the great conflict between the Æsir (gods) on the one hand, and on the other, the gaints and the powers of Hel under the leadership of Loki (who is escaped from bondage).

RAGOUT Ra*gout", n. Etym: [F. ragoût, fr. ragoûter to restore one's appetite, fr. L. pref. re- re- + ad to + gustare to taste, gustus taste. See Gust relish.]

Defn: A dish made of pieces of meat, stewed, and highly seasoned; as, a ragout of mutton.

RAGPICKER Rag"pick`er, n.

Defn: One who gets a living by picking up rags and refuse things in the streets.

RAGTIME Rag"time`, n. (Mus.)

Defn: Time characterized by syncopation, as in many negro melodies. [Colloq.]

RAGULED; RAGGULED Ra*guled", Rag*guled", a. Etym: [Cf. F. raguer to chafe, fret, rub, or E. rag.] (Her.)

Defn: Notched in regular diagonal breaks; -- said of a line, or a bearing having such an edge.

RAGWEED Rag"weed, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A common American composite weed (Ambrosia artemisiæfolia) with finely divided leaves; hogweed. Great ragweed, a coarse American herb (Ambrosia trifida), with rough three-lobed opposite leaves.

RAGWORK Rag"work`, n. (Masonry)

Defn: A kind of rubblework. In the United States, any rubblework of thin and small stones.

RAGWORT Rag"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A name given to several species of the composite genus Senecio.

Note: Senecio aureus is the golden ragwort of the United States: S. elegans is the purple ragwort of South Africa.

RAIA Ra"ia, n. Etym: [L., a ray. Cf. Ray the fish.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of rays which includes the skates. See Skate.

RAIAE Ra"iæ, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Raia.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The order of elasmobranch fishes which includes the sawfishes, skates, and rays; -- called also Rajæ, and Rajii.

RAID Raid, n. Etym: [Icel. reiedh a riding, raid; akin to E. road. See Road a way.]

1. A hostile or predatory incursion; an inroad or incursion of mounted men; a sudden and rapid invasion by a cavalry force; a foray. Marauding chief! his sole delight. The moonlight raid, the morning fight. Sir W. Scott. There are permanent conquests, temporary occupation, and occasional raids. H. Spenser.

Note: A Scottish word which came into common use in the United States during the Civil War, and was soon extended in its application.

2. An attack or invasion for the purpose of making arrests, seizing property, or plundering; as, a raid of the police upon a gambling house; a raid of contractors on the public treasury. [Colloq. U. S.]

RAID Raid, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raided; p. pr. & vb. n. Raiding.]

Defn: To make a raid upon or into; as, two regiments raided the border counties.

RAIDER Raid"er, n.

Defn: One who engages in a raid. [U.S.]

RAIFFEISEN Raif"fei`sen, a. (Economics)

Defn: Designating, or pertaining to, a form of coöperative bank founded among the German agrarian population by Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (1818-88); as, Raiffeisen banks, the Raiffeisen system, etc. The banks are unlimited-liability institutions making small loans at a low rate of interest, for a designated purpose, to worthy members only.

RAIL Rail, n. Etym: [OE. reil, reýel, AS. hrægel, hrægl a garment; akin to OHG. hregil, OFries. hreil.]

Defn: An outer cloak or covering; a neckerchief for women. Fairholt.

RAIL Rail, v. i. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: To flow forth; to roll out; to course. [Obs.] Streams of tears from her fair eyes forth railing. Spenser.

RAIL Rail, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. & Sw. regel bar, bolt, G. riegel a rail, bar, or bolt, OHG, rigil, rigel, bar, bolt, and possibly to E. row a line.]

1. A bar of timber or metal, usually horizontal or nearly so, extending from one post or support to another, as in fences, balustrades, staircases, etc.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A horizontal piece in a frame or paneling. See Illust. of Style.

3. (Railroad)

Defn: A bar of steel or iron, forming part of the track on which the wheels roll. It is usually shaped with reference to vertical strength, and is held in place by chairs, splices, etc.

4. (Naut.) (a) The stout, narrow plank that forms the top of the bulwarks. (b) The light, fencelike structures of wood or metal at the break of the deck, and elsewhere where such protection is needed. Rail fence. See under Fence. -- Rail guard. (a) A device attached to the front of a locomotive on each side for clearing the rail obstructions. (b) A guard rail. See under Guard. -- Rail joint (Railroad), a splice connecting the adjacent ends of rails, in distinction from a chair, which is merely a seat. The two devices are sometimes united. Among several hundred varieties, the fish joint is standard. See Fish joint, under Fish. -- Rail train (Iron & Steel Manuf.), a train of rolls in a rolling mill, for making rails for railroads from blooms or billets.

RAIL Rail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Railed; p. pr. & vb. n. Railing.]

1. To inclose with rails or a railing. It ought to be fenced in and railed. Ayliffe.

2. To range in a line. [Obs.] They were brought to London all railed in ropes, like a team of horses in a cart. Bacon.

RAIL Rail, n. Etym: [F. râle, fr. râler to have a rattling in the throat; of German origin, and akin to E. rattle. See Rattle, v.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family Rallidæ, especially those of the genus Rallus, and of closely allied genera. They are prized as game birds.

Note: The common European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is called also bilcock, skitty coot, and brook runner. The best known American species are the clapper rail, or salt-marsh hen (Rallus lonqirostris, var. crepitans); the king, or red-breasted, rail (R. elegans) (called also fresh-water marshhen); the lesser clapper, or Virginia, rail (R. Virginianus); and the Carolina, or sora, rail (Porzana Carolina). See Sora. Land rail (Zoöl.), the corncrake.

RAIL Rail, v. i. Etym: [F. railler; cf. Sp. rallar to grate, scrape, molest; perhaps fr. (assumed) LL. radiculare, fr. L. radere to scrape, grate. Cf. Rally to banter, Rase.]

Defn: To use insolent and reproachful language; to utter reproaches; to scoff; followed by at or against, formerly by on. Shak. And rail at arts he did not understand. Dryden. Lesbia forever on me rails. Swift.

RAIL Rail, v. t.

1. To rail at. [Obs.] Feltham.

2. To move or influence by railing. [R.] Rail the seal from off my bond. Shak.

RAILER Rail"er, n.

Defn: One who rails; one who scoffs, insults, censures, or reproaches with opprobrious language.

RAILING Rail"ing, a.

Defn: Expressing reproach; insulting. Angels which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them. 2 Pet. ii. 11.

RAILING Rail"ing, n.

1. A barrier made of a rail or of rails.

2. Rails in general; also, material for making rails.

RAILINGLY Rail"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: With scoffing or insulting language.

RAILLERY Rail"ler*y, n. Etym: [F. raillerie, fr. railler. See Rail to scoff.]

Defn: Pleasantry or slight satire; banter; jesting language; satirical merriment. Let raillery be without malice or heat. B. Jonson. Studies employed on low objects; the very naming of them is sufficient to turn them into raillery. Addison.

RAILLEUR Rail`leur", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A banterer; a jester; a mocker. [R.] Wycherley.

RAILROAD; RAILWAY Rail"road`, Rail"way`, n.

1. A road or way consisting of one or more parallel series of iron or steel rails, patterned and adjusted to be tracks for the wheels of vehicles, and suitably supported on a bed or substructure.

Note: The modern railroad is a development and adaptation of the older tramway.

2. The road, track, etc., with al the lands, buildings, rolling stock, franchises, etc., pertaining to them and constituting one property; as, certain railroad has been put into the hands of a receiver.

Note: Railway is the commoner word in England; railroad the commoner word in the United States.

Note: In the following and similar phrases railroad and railway are used interchangeably: --Atmospheric railway, Elevated railway, etc. See under Atmospheric, Elevated, etc. -- Cable railway. See Cable road, under Cable. -- Perry railway, a submerged track on which an elevated platform runs, fro carrying a train of cars across a water course. -- Gravity railway, a railway, in a hilly country, on which the cars run by gravity down gentle slopes for long distances after having been hauled up steep inclines to an elevated point by stationary engines. -- Railway brake, a brake used in stopping railway cars or locomotives. -- Railway car, a large, heavy vehicle with flanged wheels fitted for running on a railway. [U.S.] -- Railway carriage, a railway passenger car. [Eng.] -- Railway scale, a platform scale bearing a track which forms part of the line of a railway, for weighing loaded cars. -- Railway slide. See Transfer table, under Transfer. -- Railway spine (Med.), an abnormal condition due to severe concussion of the spinal cord, such as occurs in railroad accidents. It is characterized by ataxia and other disturbances of muscular function, sensory disorders, pain in the back, impairment of general health, and cerebral disturbance, -- the symptoms often not developing till some months after the injury. -- Underground railroad or railway. (a) A railroad or railway running through a tunnel, as beneath the streets of a city. (b) Formerly, a system of coöperation among certain active antislavery people in the United States, by which fugitive slaves were secretly helped to reach Canada.

Note: [In the latter sense railroad, and not railway, was used.] "Their house was a principal entrepôt of the underground railroad." W. D. Howells.

RAILROADING Rail"road`ing, n.

Defn: The construction of a railroad; the business of managing or operating a railroad. [Colloq. U. S.]

RAIMENT Rai"ment, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. arraiment. See Array.]

1. Clothing in general; vesture; garments; -- usually singular in form, with a collective sense. Living, both food and raiment she supplies. Dryden.

2. An article of dress. [R. or Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

RAIN Rain, n. & v.

Defn: Reign. [Obs.] Spenser.

RAIN Rain, n. Etym: [OF. rein, AS. regen; akin to OFries. rein, D. & G. regen, OS. & OHG. regan, Icel., Dan., & Sw. regn, Goth. rign, and prob. to L. rigare to water, to wet; cf. Gr.

Defn: Water falling in drops from the clouds; the descent of water from the clouds in drops. Rain is water by the heat of the sun divided into very small parts ascending in the air, till, encountering the cold, it be condensed into clouds, and descends in drops. Ray. Fair days have oft contracted wind and rain. Milton.

Note: Rain is distinguished from mist by the size of the drops, which are distinctly visible. When water falls in very small drops or particles, it is called mist; and fog is composed of particles so fine as to be not only individually indistinguishable, but to float or be suspended in the air. See Fog, and Mist. Rain band (Meteorol.), a dark band in the yellow portion of the solar spectrum near the sodium line, caused by the presence of watery vapor in the atmosphere, and hence sometimes used in weather predictions. -- Rain bird (Zoöl.), the yaffle, or green woodpecker. [Prov. Eng.] The name is also applied to various other birds, as to Saurothera vetula of the West Indies. -- Rain fowl (Zoöl.), the channel-bill cuckoo (Scythrops Novæ- Hollandiæ) of Australia. -- Rain gauge, an instrument of various forms measuring the quantity of rain that falls at any given place in a given time; a pluviometer; an ombrometer. -- Rain goose (Zoöl.), the red-throated diver, or loon. [Prov. Eng.] -- Rain prints (Geol.), markings on the surfaces of stratified rocks, presenting an appearance similar to those made by rain on mud and sand, and believed to have been so produced. -- Rain quail. (Zoöl.) See Quail, n., 1. -- Rain water, water that has fallen from the clouds in rain.

RAIN Rain, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rained; p. pr. & vb. n. Raining.] Etym: [AS. regnian, akin to G. regnen, Goth. rignjan. See Rain, n.]

1. To fall in drops from the clouds, as water; used mostly with it for a nominative; as, it rains. The rain it raineth every day. Shak.

2. To fall or drop like water from the clouds; as, tears rained from their eyes.

RAIN Rain, v. t.

1. To pour or shower down from above, like rain from the clouds. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. Ex. xvi. 4.

2. To bestow in a profuse or abundant manner; as, to rain favors upon a person.

RAINBOW Rain"bow`, n. Etym: [AS. regenboga, akin to G. regenbogen. See Rain, and Bow anything bent,]

Defn: A bow or arch exhibiting, in concentric bands, the several colors of the spectrum, and formed in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of falling rain.

Note: Besides the ordinary bow, called also primary rainbow, which is formed by two refractions and one reflection, there is also another often seen exterior to it, called the secondary rainbow, concentric with the first, and separated from it by a small interval. It is formed by two refractions and two reflections, is much fainter than the primary bow, and has its colors arranged in the reverse order from those of the latter. Lunar rainbow, a fainter arch or rainbow, formed by the moon. -- Marine rainbow, or Sea bow, a similar bow seen in the spray of waves at sea. -- Rainbow trout (Zoöl.), a bright-colored trout (Salmoirideus), native of the mountains of California, but now extensively introduced into the Eastern States. Japan, and other countries; -- called also brook trout, mountain trout, and golden trout. -- Rainbow wrasse. (Zoöl.) See under Wrasse. -- Supernumerary rainbow, a smaller bow, usually of red and green colors only, sometimes seen within the primary or without the secondary rainbow, and in contact with them.

RAINBOWED Rain"bowed`, a.

Defn: Formed with or like a rainbow.

RAINDEER Rain"deer`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Reindeer. [Obs.]

RAINDROP Rain"drop`, n.

Defn: A drop of rain.

RAINFALL Rain"fall`, n.

Defn: A fall or descent of rain; the water, or amount of water, that falls in rain; as, the average annual rainfall of a region. Supplied by the rainfall of the outer ranges of Sinchul and Singaleleh. Hooker.

RAININESS Rain"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being rainy.

RAINLESS Rain"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of rain; as, a rainless region.

RAIN-TIGHT Rain"-tight`, a.

Defn: So tight as to exclude rain as, a rain-tight roof.

RAINY Rain"y, a. Etym: [AS. regenig.]

Defn: Abounding with rain; wet; showery; as, rainy day or season.

RAIP Raip, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. reip rope. Cf. Rope.]

Defn: A rope; also, a measure equal to a rod. [Scot.]

RAIS Rais, n.

Defn: Same as 2d Reis.

RAISABLE Rais"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being raised.

RAISE Raise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raised; p. pr. & vb. n. Raising.] Etym: [OE. reisen, Icel. reisa, causative of risa to rise. See Rise, and cf. Rear to raise.]

1. To cause to rise; to bring from a lower to a higher place; to lift upward; to elevate; to heave; as, to raise a stone or weight. Hence, figuratively: -- (a) To bring to a higher condition or situation; to elevate in rank, dignity, and the like; to increase the value or estimation of; to promote; to exalt; to advance; to enhance; as, to raise from a low estate; to raise to office; to raise the price, and the like. This gentleman came to be raised to great titles. Clarendon. The plate pieces of eight were raised three pence in the piece. Sir W. Temple.

(b) To increase the strength, vigor, or vehemence of; to excite; to intensify; to invigorate; to heighten; as, to raise the pulse; to raise the voice; to raise the spirits or the courage; to raise the heat of a furnace. (c) To elevate in degree according to some scale; as, to raise the pitch of the voice; to raise the temperature of a room.

2. To cause to rise up, or assume an erect position or posture; to set up; to make upright; as, to raise a mast or flagstaff. Hence: -- (a) To cause to spring up from recumbent position, from a state of quiet, or the like; to awaken; to arouse. They shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Job xiv. 12.

(b) To rouse to action; to stir up; to incite to tumult, struggle, or war; to excite. He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind. Ps. cvii. 25. Æneas . . . employs his pains, In parts remote, to raise the Tuscan swains. Dryden.

(c) To bring up from the lower world; to call up, as a spirit from the world of spirits; to recall from death; to give life to. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead Acts xxvi. 8.

3. To cause to arise, grow up, or come into being or to appear; to give to; to originate, produce, cause, effect, or the like. Hence, specifically: -- (a) To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect; as, to raise a lofty structure, a wall, a heap of stones. I will raise forts against thee. Isa. xxxix. 3.

(b) To bring together; to collect; to levy; to get together or obtain for use or service; as, to raise money, troops, and the like. "To raise up a rent." Chaucer. (c) To cause to grow; to procure to be produced, bred, or propagated; to grow; as, to raise corn, barley, hops, etc.; toraise cattle. "He raised sheep." "He raised wheat where none grew before." Johnson's Dict.

Note: In some parts of the United States, notably in the Southern States, raise in also commonly applied to the rearing or bringing up of children. I was raised, as they say in Virginia, among the mountains of the North. Paulding.

(d) To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear; -- often with up. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee. Deut. xviii. 18. God vouchsafes to raise another world From him [Noah], and all his anger to forget. Milton.

(e) To give rise to; to set agoing; to occasion; to start; to originate; as, to raise a smile or a blush. Thou shalt not raise a false report. Ex. xxiii. 1.

(f) To give vent or utterance to; to utter; to strike up. Soon as the prince appears, they raise a cry. Dryden.

(g) To bring to notice; to submit for consideration; as, to raise a point of order; to raise an objection.

4. To cause to rise, as by the effect of leaven; to make light and spongy, as bread. Miss Liddy can dance a jig, and raise paste. Spectator.

5. (Naut.) (a) To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it; as, to raise Sandy Hook light. (b) To let go; as in the command, Raise tacks and sheets, i. e., Let go tacks and sheets.

6. (Law)

Defn: To create or constitute; as, to raise a use that is, to create it. Burrill. To raise a blockade (Mil.), to remove or break up a blockade, either by withdrawing the ships or forces employed in enforcing it, or by driving them away or dispersing them. -- To raise a check, note, bill of exchange, etc., to increase fraudulently its nominal value by changing the writing, figures, or printing in which the sum payable is specified. -- To raise a siege, to relinquish an attempt to take a place by besieging it, or to cause the attempt to be relinquished. -- To raise steam, to produce steam of a required pressure. -- To raise the wind, to procure ready money by some temporary expedient. [Colloq.] -- To raise Cain, or To raise the devil, to cause a great disturbance; to make great trouble. [Slang]

Syn. -- To lift; exalt; elevate; erect; originate; cause; produce; grow; heighten; aggravate; excite.

RAISED Raised, a.

1. Lifted up; showing above the surroundings; as, raised or embossed metal work.

2. 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. Raised beach. See under Beach, n.

RAISER Rais"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, raises (in various senses of the verb).

RAISIN Rai"sin, n. Etym: [F. raisin grape, raisin, L. racemus cluster of grapes or berries; cf. Gr. Raceme.]

1. A grape, or a bunch of grapes. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

2. A grape dried in the sun or by artificial heat. Raisin tree (Bot.), the common red currant, whose fruit resembles the small raisins of Corinth called currants. [Eng.] Dp. Prior.

RAISING Rais"ing, n.

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

2. Specifically, the operation or work of setting up the frame of a building; as, to help at a raising. [U.S.]

3. The operation of embossing sheet metal, or of forming it into cup- shaped or hollow articles, by hammering, stamping, or spinning. Raising bee, a bee for raising the frame of a building. See Bee, n., 2. [U.S.] W. Irving. -- Raising hammer, a hammer with a rounded face, used in raising sheet metal. -- Raising plate (Carp.), the plate, or longitudinal timber, on which a roof is raised and rests.

RAISONNE Rai`son`né", a. Etym: [F. raisonné. p. p. of raisonner to reason.]

Defn: Arranged systematically, or according to classes or subjects; as, a catalogue raisonné. See under Catalogue.

RAIVEL Rai"vel, n. (Weaving)

Defn: A separator. [Scot.]

RAJ Raj, n. Etym: [See Rajah.]

Defn: Reign; rule. [India]

RAJA Ra"ja, n.

Defn: Same as Rajah.

RAJAH Ra"jah, n. Etym: [Hind. raja, Skr. rajan, akin to L. rex, regis. See Regal, a.]

Defn: A native prince or king; also, a landholder or person of importance in the agricultural districts. [India]

RAJAHSHIP Ra"jah*ship, n.

Defn: The office or dignity of a rajah.

RAJPOOT; RAJPUT Raj`poot", Raj`put", n. Etym: [Hind. raj-put, Skr. raja-putra king's son.]

Defn: A Hindoo of the second, or royal and military, caste; a Kshatriya; especially, an inhabitant of the country of Rajpootana, in northern central India.

RAKE Rake, n. Etym: [AS. race; akin to OD. rake, D. reek, OHG, rehho, G. rechen, Icel, reka a shovel, and to Goth. rikan to heap up, collect, and perhaps to Gr. rack to stretch. Cf. Reckon.]

1. An implement consisting of a headpiece having teeth, and a long handle at right angles to it, -- used for collecting hay, or other light things which are spread over a large surface, or for breaking and smoothing the earth.

2. A toothed machine drawn by a horse, -- used for collecting hay or grain; a horserake.

3. Etym: [Perhaps a different word.] (Mining)

Defn: A fissure or mineral vein traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so; -- called also rake-vein. Gill rakes. (Anat.) See under 1st Gill.

RAKE Rake, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raked; p. pr. & vb. n. Raking.] Etym: [AS. racian. See 1st Rake.]

1. To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves.

2. Hence:

Defn: To collect or draw together with laborious industry; to gather from a wide space; to scrape together; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town.

3. To pass a rake over; to scrape or scratch with a rake for the purpose of collecting and clearing off something, or for stirring up the soil; as, to rake a lawn; to rake a flower bed.

4. To search through; to scour; to ransack. The statesman rakes the town to find a plot. Swift.

5. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does. Like clouds that rake the mountain summits. Wordsworth.

6. (Mil.)

Defn: To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of; in naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so that the balls range the whole length of the deck. To rake up. (a) To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and cover with ashes. (b) To bring up; to search out an bring to notice again; as, to rake up old scandals.

RAKE Rake, v. i.

1. To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting; to scrape; to search minutely. One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words. Dryden.

2. To pass with violence or rapidity; to scrape along. Pas could not stay, but over him did rake. Sir P. Sidney.

RAKE Rake, n. Etym: [Cf. dial. Sw. raka to reach, and E. reach.]

Defn: To inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc.; especially (Naut.,

Defn: the inclination of a mast or tunnel, or, in general, of any part of a vessel not perpendicular to the keel.

RAKE Rake, v. i.

Defn: To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft. Raking course (Bricklaying), a course of bricks laid diagonally between the face courses in a thick wall, to strengthen.

RAKE Rake, n. Etym: [OE. rakel rash; cf. Icel. reikall wandering, unsettled, reika to wander.]

Defn: A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a person addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices; a debauchee; a roué. Am illiterate and frivolous old rake. Macaulay.

RAKE Rake, v. i.

1. Etym: [Icel. reika. Cf. Rake a debauchee.]

Defn: To walk about; to gad or ramble idly. [Prov. Eng.]

2. Etym: [See Rake a debauchee.]

Defn: To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life. Shenstone. To rake out (Falconry), to fly too far and wide from its master while hovering above waiting till the game is sprung; -- said of the hawk. Encyc. Brit.

RAKEHELL Rake"hell`, n. Etym: [See Rakel.]

Defn: A lewd, dissolute fellow; a debauchee; a rake. It seldom doth happen, in any way of life, that a sluggard and a rakehell do not go together. Barrow.

RAKEHELL; RAKEHELLY Rake"hell`, Rake"hell`y, a.

Defn: Dissolute; wild; lewd; rakish. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson.

RAKEL Ra"kel, a. Etym: [OE. See Rake a debauchee.]

Defn: Hasty; reckless; rash. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Ra"kel*ness, n. [Obs.] Chaucer.

RAKER Rak"er, n. Etym: [See 1st Rake.]

1. One who, or that which, rakes; as: (a) A person who uses a rake. (b) A machine for raking grain or hay by horse or other power. (c) A gun so placed as to rake an enemy's ship.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Gill rakers, under 1st Gill.

RAKERY Rak"er*y, n.

Defn: Debauchery; lewdness. The rakery and intrigues of the lewd town. R. North.

RAKESHAME Rake"shame`, n. Etym: [Cf. Rakehell, Ragabash.]

Defn: A vile, dissolute wretch. [Obs.] Milton.

RAKESTALE Rake"stale`, n. Etym: [Rake the instrument + stale a handle.]

Defn: The handle of a rake. That tale is not worth a rakestele. Chaucer.

RAKE-VEIN Rake"-vein`, n.

Defn: See Rake, a mineral vein.

RAKI; RAKEE Ra`ki", Ra`kee", n. [Turk. rakiarrack.]

Defn: A kind of ardent spirits used in southern Europe and the East, distilled from grape juice, grain, etc.

RAKING Rak"ing, n.

1. The act or process of using a rake; the going over a space with a rake.

2. 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.

RAKISH Rak"ish, a.

Defn: Dissolute; lewd; debauched. The arduous task of converting a rakish lover. Macaulay.

RAKISH Rak"ish, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Having a saucy appearance indicative of speed and dash. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

RAKISHLY Rak"ish*ly, adv.

Defn: In a rakish manner.

RAKISHNESS Rak"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being rakish.

RAKU WARE Ra"ku ware`.

Defn: A kind of earthenware made in Japan, resembling Satsuma ware, but having a paler color.

RALE Râle, n. Etym: [F. râle. Cf. Rail the bird.] (Med.)

Defn: An adventitious sound, usually of morbid origin, accompanying the normal respiratory sounds. See Rhonchus.

Note: Various kinds are distinguished by pathologists; differing in intensity, as loud and small; in quality, as moist, dry, clicking, and sonorous; and in origin, as tracheal, pulmonary, and pleural.

RALLENTANDO Ral"len*tan"do, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)

Defn: Slackening; -- a direction to perform a passage with a gradual decrease in time and force; ritardando.

RALLIANCE Ral"li*ance, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. raliance. See Rally to reunite.]

Defn: The act of rallying.

RALLIER Ral"li*er, n.

Defn: One who rallies.

RALLIES Ral"liés", n. pl. [F., p. p. pl. See Rally, v. t.]

Defn: A French political group, also known as the Constitutional Right from its position in the Chambers, mainly monarchists who rallied to the support of the Republic in obedience to the encyclical put forth by Pope Leo XIII. in Feb., 1892.

RALLINE Ral"line, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the rails.

RALLY Ral"ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rallied; p. pr. & vb. n. Rallying.] Etym: [OF. ralier, F. rallier, fr. L. pref. re- + ad + ligare to bind. See Ra-, and 1st Ally.]

Defn: To collect, and reduce to order, as troops dispersed or thrown into confusion; to gather again; to reunite.

RALLY Ral"ly, v. i.

1. To come into orderly arrangement; to renew order, or united effort, as troops scattered or put to flight; to assemble; to unite. The Grecians rally, and their powers unite. Dryden. Innumerable parts of matter chanced just then to rally together, and to form themselves into this new world. Tillotson.

2. To collect one's vital powers or forces; to regain health or consciousness; to recuperate.

3. To recover strength after a decline in prices; -- said of the market, stocks, etc.

RALLY Ral"ly, n.; pl. Rallies (.

1. The act or process of rallying (in any of the senses of that word).

2. A political mass meeting. [Colloq. U. S.]

RALLY Ral"ly, v. t. Etym: [F. railler. See Rail to scoff.]

Defn: To attack with raillery, either in good humor and pleasantry, or with slight contempt or satire. Honeycomb . . . raillies me upon a country life. Addison. Strephon had long confessed his amorous pain. Which gay Corinna rallied with disdain. Gay.

Syn. -- To banter; ridicule; satirize; deride; mock.

RALLY Ral"ly, v. i.

Defn: To use pleasantry, or satirical merriment.

RALLY Ral"ly, n.

Defn: Good-humored raillery.

RALPH Ralph, n.

Defn: A name sometimes given to the raven.

RALSTONITE Ral"ston*ite, n. Etym: [So named after J. G. Ralston of Norristown, Penn.] (Min.)

Defn: A fluoride of alumina and soda occurring with the Greenland cryolite in octahedral crystals.

RAM Ram, n. Etym: [AS. ramm, ram; akin to OHG. & D. ram, Prov. G. ramm, and perh. to Icel. ramr strong.]

1. The male of the sheep and allied animals. In some parts of England a ram is called a tup.

2. (Astron.) (a) Aries, the sign of the zodiac which the sun enters about the 21st of March. (b) The constellation Aries, which does not now, as formerly, occupy the sign of the same name.

3. An engine of war used for butting or battering. Specifically: (a) In ancient warfare, a long beam suspended by slings in a framework, and used for battering the walls of cities; a battering- ram. (b) A heavy steel or iron beak attached to the prow of a steam war vessel for piercing or cutting down the vessel of an enemy; also, a vessel carrying such a beak.

4. A hydraulic ram. See under Hydraulic.

5. The weight which strikes the blow, in a pile driver, steam hammer, stamp mill, or the like.

6. The plunger of a hydraulic press. Ram's horn. (a) (Fort.) A low semicircular work situated in and commanding a ditch. [Written also ramshorn.] Farrow. (b) (Paleon.) An ammonite.

RAM Ram, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rammed; p. pr. & vb. n. Ramming.]

1. To butt or strike against; to drive a ram against or through; to thrust or drive with violence; to force in; to drive together; to cram; as, to ram an enemy's vessel; to ram piles, cartridges, etc. [They] rammed me in with foul shirts, and smocks, socks, foul stockings, greasy napkins. Shak.

2. To fill or compact by pounding or driving. A ditch . . . was filled with some sound materials, and rammed to make the foundation solid. Arbuthnot.

RAMADAN Ram`a*dan", n. Etym: [Ar. ramadan, or ramazan, properly, the hot month.] [Written also Ramadhan, Ramadzan, and Rhamadan.]

1. The ninth Mohammedan month.

2. The great annual fast of the Mohammedans, kept during daylight through the ninth month.

RAMAGE Ram"age (; 48), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. ramus a branch.]

1. Boughs or branches. [Obs.] Crabb.

2. Warbling of birds in trees. [Obs.] Drummond.

RAMAGE Ra*mage", a.

Defn: Wild; untamed. [Obs.]

RAMAGIOUS Ra*ma"gi*ous, a.

Defn: Wild; not tame. [Obs.] Now is he tame that was so ramagious. Remedy of Love.

RAMAL Ra"mal, a. Etym: [L. ramus branch.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a ramus, or branch; rameal.

RAMAYANA Ra*ma"ya*na, n. Etym: [Skr. Ramayana.]

Defn: The more ancient of the two great epic poems in Sanskrit. The hero and heroine are Rama and his wife Sita.

RAMBERGE Ram"berge, n. Etym: [F., fr. rame oar + barge barge.]

Defn: Formerly, a kind of large war galley.

RAMBLE Ram"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rambled; p. pr. & vb. n. Rambling.] Etym: [For rammle, fr. Prov. E. rame to roam. Cf. Roam.]

1. 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. He that is at liberty to ramble in perfect darkness, what is his liberty better than if driven up and down as a bubble by the wind Locke.

2. To talk or write in a discursive, aimless way.

3. To extend or grow at random. Thomson.

Syn. -- To rove; roam; wander; range; stroll.

RAMBLE Ram"ble, n.

1. A going or moving from place to place without any determinate business or object; an excursion or stroll merely for recreation. Coming home, after a short Christians ramble. Swift.