1. To set at rest; to free, as from anything harmful or oppressive; to relieve; to clear; to liberate. [R.] To quit you of this fear, you have already looked Death in the face; what have you found so terrible in it Wake.
2. To release from obligation, accusation, penalty, or the like; toabsolve; to acquit.There may no gold them quyte. Chaucer.God will relent, and quit thee all his debt. Milton.
3. To discharge, as an obligation or duty; to meet and satisfy, as a claim or debt; to make payment for or of; to requite; to repay. The blissful martyr quyte you your meed. Chaucer. Enkindle all the sparks of nature To quit this horrid act. Shak. Before that judge that quits each soul his hire. Fairfax.
4. To meet the claims upon, or expectations entertained of; to conduct; to acquit; — used reflexively. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men. I Sam. iv. 9. Samson hath guit himself Like Samson. Milton.
5. To carry through; to go through to the end. [Obs.] Never worthy prince a day did quit With greater hazard and with more renown. Daniel.
6. To have done with; to cease from; to stop; hence, to depart from; to leave; to forsake; as, to quit work; to quit the place; to quit jesting. Such a superficial way of examining is to quit truth for appearance. Locke. To quit cost, to pay; to reimburse. — To quit scores, to make even; to clear mutually from demands. Does not the earth quit scores with all the elements in the noble fruits that issue from it South.
Syn. — To leave; relinquish; resign; abandon; forsake; surrender; discharge; requite. — Quit, Leave. Leave is a general term, signifying merely an act of departure; quit implies a going without intention of return, a final and absolute abandonment.
QUITQuit, v. i.
Defn: To away; to depart; to stop doing a thing; to cease.
QUITCHQuitch, n.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Quitch grass.
2. Figuratively: A vice; a taint; an evil. To pick the vicious quitch Of blood and custom wholly out of him. Tennyson .
QUITCH GRASS Quitch" grass`. Etym: [Properly quick grass, being probably so called from its vigorous growth, or from its tenacity of life. See Quick, and cf. Couch grass.] (Bot.)
Defn: A perennial grass (Agropyrum repens) having long running rootstalks, by which it spreads rapidly and pertinaciously, and so becomes a troublesome weed. Also called couch grass, quick grass, quick grass, twitch grass. See Illustration in Appendix.
QUITCLAIMQuit"claim`, n. Etym: [Quit, a. + claim.] (Law)
Defn: A release or relinquishment of a claim; a deed of release; an instrument by which some right, title, interest, or claim, which one person has, or is supposed to have, in or to an estate held by himself or another, is released or relinquished, the grantor generally covenanting only against persons who claim under himself.
QUITCLAIMQuit"claim`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quitclaimed; p. pr. & vb. n.Quitclaiming.] (Law)
Defn: To release or relinquish a claim to; to release a claim to by deed, without covenants of warranty against adverse and paramount titles.
QUITEQuite, v. t. & i.
Defn: See Quit. [Obs.] Chaucer.
QUITE Quite, adv. Etym: [F. quite discharged, free, clear; cf. OF. quitement freely, frankly, entirely. See Quit, a.]
1. Completely; wholly; entirely; totally; perfectly; as, the work is not quite done; the object is quite accomplished; to be quite mistaken. Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will. Milton. The same actions may be aimed at different ends, and arise from quite contrary principles. Spectator.
2. To a great extent or degree; very; very much; considerably. "Quiteamusing." Macaulay.He really looks quite concerned. Landor.The island stretches along the land and is quite close to it. Jowett(Thucyd. ).
QUITLYQuit"ly, adv.
Defn: Quite. [Obs.] Chaucer.
QUITRENTQuit"rent`, n. Etym: [Quit, a. + rent] (Law)
Defn: A rent reserved in grants of land, by the payment of which the tenant is quit from other service. Blackstone.
Note: In some of the United States a fee-farm rent is so termed.Burrill.
QUITSQuits interj.
Defn: See the Note under Quit, a.
QUITTABLEQuit"ta*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being quitted.
QUITTALQuit"tal, n.
Defn: Return; requital; quittance. [Obs.]
QUITTANCEQuit"tance, n. Etym: [OE. quitaunce, OF. quitance, F. quittance. SeeQuit, v. t.]
1. Discharge from a debt or an obligation; acquittance. Omittance is no quittance. Shak.
2. Recompense; return; repayment. [Obs.] Shak.
QUITTANCEQuit"tance, v. t.
Defn: To repay; to requite. [Obs.] Shak.
QUITTERQuit"ter, n.
1. One who quits.
2. A deliverer. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
QUITTORQuit"tor, n. Etym: [Perhaps for quitture.] (Far.)
Defn: A chronic abscess, or fistula of the coronet, in a horse's foot, resulting from inflammation of the tissues investing the coffin bone.
QUITTUREQuit"ture, n.
Defn: A discharge; an issue. [Obs.]To cleanse the quitture from thy wound. Chapman.
QUIVER Quiv"er, a. Etym: [Akin to AS. cwiferlice anxiously; cf. OD. kuiven, kuiveren. Cf. Quaver.]
Defn: Nimble; active. [Obs.] " A little quiver fellow." Shak.
QUIVERQuiv"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quivered; p. pr. & vb. n. Quivering.]Etym: [Cf. Quaver.]
Defn: To shake or move with slight and tremulous motion; to tremble;to quake; to shudder; to shiver.The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind. Shak.And left the limbs still quivering on the ground. Addison.
QUIVERQuiv"er, n.
Defn: The act or state of quivering; a tremor.
QUIVER Quiv"er, n. Etym: [OF. cuivre, cuevre, coivre, LL. cucurum, fr. OHG. chohhari quiver, receptacle, G. köcher quiver; akin to AS. color, cocur, cocer, D. koker. Cf. Cocker a high shoe.]
Defn: A case or sheath for arrows to be carried on the person.Reside him hung his bow And quiver, with three-bolted thunder stored.Milton.
QUIVEREDQuiv"ered, a.
1. Furnished with, or carrying, a quiver. "Like a quivered nymph with arrows keen." Milton.
2. Sheathed, as in a quiver. "Whose quills stand quivered at his ear." Pope.
QUIVERINGLYQuiv"er*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With quivering motion.
QUI VIVE Qui` vive". Etym: [F., fr. qui who + vive, pres. subj. of vivre to live.]
Defn: The challenge of a French sentinel, or patrol; — used like the English challenge: "Who comes there" To be on the qui vive, to be on guard; to be watchful and alert, like a sentinel.
QUIXOTICQuix*ot"ic, a.
Defn: Like Don Quixote; romantic to extravagance; absurdly chivalric; apt to be deluded. "Feats of quixotic gallantry." Prescott.
QUIXOTICALLYQuix*ot"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a quixotic way.
QUIXOTISMQuix"ot*ism, n.
Defn: That form of delusion which leads to extravagant and absurd undertakings or sacrifices in obedience to a morbidly romantic ideal of duty or honor, as illustrated by the exploits of Don Quixote in knight-errantry.
QUIXOTRYQuix"ot*ry, n.
Defn: Quixotism; visionary schemes.
QUIZ Quiz, n. Etym: [It is said that Daly, the manager of a Dublin playhouse, laid a wager that a new word of no meaning should be the common talk and puzzle of the city in twenty-fours. In consequence of this the letters q u i z were chalked by him on all the walls of Dublin, with an effect that won the wager. Perhaps, however, originally a variant of whiz, and formerly the name of a popular game.]
1. A riddle or obscure question; an enigma; a ridiculous hoax.
2. One who quizzes others; as, he is a great quiz.
3. An odd or absurd fellow. Smart. Thackeray.
4. An exercise, or a course of exercises, conducted as a coaching or as an examination. [Cant, U.S.]
QUIZQuiz, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quizzed; p. pr. & vb. n. Quizzing.]
1. To puzzle; to banter; to chaff or mock with pretended seriousness of discourse; to make sport of, as by obscure questions. He quizzed unmercifully all the men in the room. Thackeray.
2. To peer at; to eye suspiciously or mockingly.
3. To instruct in or by a quiz. See Quiz, n., 4. [U.S.] Quizzing glass, a small eyeglass.
QUIZQuiz, v. i.
Defn: To conduct a quiz. See Quiz, n., 4. [U.S.]
QUIZZERQuiz"zer, n.
Defn: One who quizzes; a quiz.
QUIZZICALQuiz"zic*al, a.
Defn: Relating to quizzing: given to quizzing; of the nature of a quiz; farcical; sportive. — Quiz"zic*al*ly, adv.
QUIZZISMQuiz"zism, n.
Defn: The act or habit of quizzing.
QUOBQuob, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Quaver.] [Written also quop and quab.]
Defn: To throb; to quiver. [Local & Vulgar]
QUODQuod, n. Etym: [For quad, abbrev. of quadrangle.]
Defn: A quadrangle or court, as of a prison; hence, a prison. [Slang]"Flogged or whipped in quod." T. Hughes.
QUODQuod, v.
Defn: Quoth; said. See Quoth. [Obs.]"Let be," quod he, "it shall not be." Chaucer.
QUODDIESQuod"dies, n. pl.
Defn: Herring taken and cured or smoked near Quoddy Head, Maine, or near the entrance of Passamaquoddy Ray.
QUODLIBETQuod"li*bet, n. Etym: [L., what you please.]
1. A nice point; a subtilty; a debatable point. These are your quodlibets, but no learning. P. Fletcher.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A medley improvised by several performers.
QUODLIBETARIANQuod"lib*e*ta"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who discusses any subject at pleasure.
QUODLIBETICALQuod"li*bet"ic*al, a.
Defn: Not restricted to a particular subject; discussed for curiosityor entertainment.— Quod`li*bet"ic*al*ly, adv.
QUOIFQuoif, n. & v. t.
Defn: See Coif. Shak.
QUOIFFUREQuoif"fure, n.
Defn: See Coiffure.
QUOILQuoil, n.
Defn: See Coil. [Obs.]
QUOINQuoin, n. Etym: [See Coin, and cf. Coigne.]
1. (Arch.)
Defn: Originally, a solid exterior angle, as of a building; now, commonly, one of the selected pieces of material by which the corner is marked.
Note: In stone, the quoins consist of blocks larger than those used in the rest of the building, and cut to dimension. In brickwork, quoins consist of groups or masses of brick laid together, and in a certain imitation of quoins of stone.
2. A wedgelike piece of stone, wood metal, or other material, used for various purposes, as: (a) (Masonry)
Defn: to support and steady a stone. (b) (Gun.) To support the breech of a cannon. (c) (Print.) To wedge or lock up a form within a chase. (d) (Naut.) To prevent casks from rolling. Hollow quoin. See under Hollow. — Quoin post (Canals), the post of a lock gate which abuts against the wall.
QUOITQuoit, n. Etym: [OE. coite; cf. OF. coitier to spur, press, (assumed)LL. coctare, fr. L. coquere, coctum, to cook, burn, vex, harass, E.cook, also W. coete a quoit.]
1. (a) A flattened ring-shaped piece of iron, to be pitched at a fixed object in play; hence, any heavy flat missile used for the same purpose, as a stone, piece of iron, etc. (b) pl.
Defn: A game played with quoits. Shak.
2. The discus of the ancients. See Discus.
3. A cromlech. [Prov. Eng.] J. Morley.
QUOITQuoit, v. i.
Defn: To throw quoits; to play at quoits.To quoit, to run, and steeds and chariots drive. Dryden.
QUOITQuoit, v. t.
Defn: To throw; to pitch. [Obs. or R.] Shak.
QUOKEQuoke, obs.
Defn: imp. of Quake. Chaucer.
QUOLLQuoll, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A marsupial of Australia (Dasyurus macrurus), about the size of a cat.
QUONDAMQuon"dam, a. Etym: [L., formerly.]
Defn: Having been formerly; former; sometime. "This is the quondam king." Shak.
QUONDAMQuon"dam, n.
Defn: A person dismissed or ejected from a position. [R.] "Make them quondams; . . . cast them out of their office." Latimer.
QUOOKQuook,
Defn: imp. of Quake. [Obs.] Spenser.
QUOPQuop, v. i.
Defn: See Quob.
QUORUMQuo"rum, n. Etym: [L., of whom, gen. pl. of qui who, akin to E. who.See the Note below.]
Defn: Such a number of the officers or members of any body as is competent by law or constitution to transact business; as, a quorum of the House of Representatives; a constitutional quorum was not present.
Note: The term arose from the Latin words, Quorum aliquem vestrum . . . unum esse volumus (of whom we wish some one of you to be one), which were used in the commission formerly issued to justices of the peace in England, by which commission it was directed that no business of certain kinds should be done without the presence of one or more of certain justices specially designated. Justice of the peace and of the quorum designates a class of justices of the peace in some of the United States.
QUOTA Quo"ta, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. quota (sc. pars), fr.quotus which or what in number, of what number, how many, fr. quot how many, akin to quis, qui, who: cf. It. quota a share. See Who.]
Defn: A proportional part or share; the share or proportion assigned to each in a division. "Quota of troops and money." Motley.
QUOTABLEQuot"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable or worthy of being quoted; as, a quotable writer; aquotable sentence.— Quot`a*bit"i*ty, n. Poe.
QUOTATIONQuo*ta"tion, n. Etym: [From Quote.]
1. The act of quoting or citing.
2. That which is quoted or cited; a part of a book or writing named, repeated, or adduced as evidence or illustration. Locke.
3. (Com.)
Defn: The naming or publishing of the current price of stocks, bonds, or any commodity; also the price named.
4. Quota; share. [Obs.]
5. (print.)
Defn: A piece of hollow type metal, lower than type, and measuring two or more pica ems in length and breadth, used in the blank spaces at the beginning and end of chapters, etc. Quotation marks (Print.), two inverted commas placed at the beginning, and two apostrophes at the end, of a passage quoted from an author in his own words.
QUOTATIONISTQuo*ta"tion*ist n.
Defn: One who makes, or is given to making, quotations.The narrow intellectuals of quotationists. Milton.
QUOTE Quote, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Quoting.] Etym: [OF. quoter, F. coter to letter, number, to quote, LL. quotare to divide into chapters and verses, fr. L. quotus. See Quota.] [Formerly written also cote.]
1. To cite, as a passage from some author; to name, repeat, or adduce, as a passage from an author or speaker, by way of authority or illustration; as, to quote a passage from Homer.
2. To cite a passage from; to name as the authority for a statement or an opinion; as, to quote Shakespeare.
3. (Com.)
Defn: To name the current price of.
4. To notice; to observe; to examine. [Obs.] Shak.
5. To set down, as in writing. [Obs.] "He's quoted for a most perfidious slave." Shak.
Syn. — To cite; name; adduce; repeat. Quote, Cite. To cite was originally to call into court as a witness, etc., and hence denotes bringing forward any thing or person as evidence. Quote usually signifies to reproduce another's words; it is also used to indicate an appeal to some one as an authority, without adducing his exact words.
QUOTEQuote, n.
Defn: A note upon an author. [Obs.] Cotgrave.
QUOTERQuot"er, n.
Defn: One who quotes the words of another.
QUOTH Quoth, v. t. Etym: [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
Defn: Said; spoke; uttered; — used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. "Let me not live, quoth he." Shak.
QUOTHA Quoth"a, interj. Etym: [For quoth'a, said he, 'a being corrupted from he.]
Defn: Indeed; forsooth. To affront the blessed hillside drabs and thieves With mended morals, quotha, — fine new lives ! Mrs. Browning.
QUOTIDIANQuo*tid"i*an a. Etym: [OE. cotidian, L. quotidianus, fr. quotidiedaily; quotus how many + dies day: cf. OF. cotidien, F. quotidien.See Quota, Deity.]
Defn: Occurring or returning daily; as, a quotidian fever.
QUOTIDIANQuo*tid"i*an, n.
Defn: Anything returning daily; especially (Med.), an intermittent fever or ague which returns every day. Milton.
QUOTIENT Quo"tient, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quoties how often, how many times, fr. quot how many. See Quota.]
1. (Arith.)
Defn: The number resulting from the division of one number by another, and showing how often a less number is contained in a greater; thus, the quotient of twelve divided by four is three.
2. (Higher Alg.)
Defn: The result of any process inverse to multiplication. See theNote under Multiplication.
QUOTIETYQuo*ti"e*ty, n. Etym: [L.quotus of what number, quot how many.](Scholastic Philos.)
Defn: The relation of an object to number. Krauth-Fleming.
QUOTUMQuo"tum n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. quotus of what number. See Quota.]
Defn: Part or proportion; quota. [R.] "A very small quotum." MaxMüller.
QUO WARRANTOQuo" war*ran"to. Etym: [So called from the Law L. words quo warranto(by what authority), in the original Latin form of the writ. SeeWhich, and Warrant.] (Law)
Defn: A writ brought before a proper tribunal, to inquire by what warrant a person or a corporation acts, or exercises certain powers. Blackstone.
Note: An information in the nature of a quo warranto is now common as a substitute for the writ. Wharton.
QURANQu*ran", n.
Defn: See Koran.
RR (är).
Defn: R, the eighteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. It is sometimes called a semivowel, and a liquid. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 178, 179, and 250-254. "R is the dog's letter and hurreth in the sound." B. Jonson.
In words derived from the Greek language the letter h is generally written after r to represent the aspirated sound of the Greek "r, but does not affect the pronunciation of the English word, as rhapsody, rhetoric.
The English letter derives its form from the Greek through the Latin, the Greek letter being derived from the Phonician, which, it is believed, is ultimately of Egyptian origin. Etymologically, R is most closely related to l, s, and n; as in bandore, mandole; purple, L. purpura; E. chapter, F. chapitre, L. capitulum; E. was, were; hare, G. hase; E. order, F. ordre, L. ordo, ordinis; E. coffer, coffin.
The three Rs, a jocose expression for reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic, — the fundamentals of an education.
RA-Ra-.
Defn: A prefix, from the Latin re and ad combined, coming to us through the French and Italian. See Re-, and Ad-.
RARa (rä), n.
Defn: A roe; a deer. [Obs.] Chaucer.
RAASHRaash (räsh), n. [Cf. Ar. ra'ash trembling, tremor.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The electric catfish. [Written also raasch.]
RABRab (rab), n.
Defn: A rod or stick used by masons in mixing hair with mortar.
RABATRab"at (rab"at), n. [See Rabot.]
Defn: A polishing material made of potter's clay that has failed in baking.
RABAT Ra`bat", n. [F. Cf. Rabato.] (Eccl.) (a) A clerical linen collar. (b) A kind of clerical scarf fitted to a collar; as, a black silk rabat.
RABATE Ra*bate" (ra*bat"), v. t. [F. rabattre to beat down; pref. re- + abattre. See Abate, and cf. Rebate, v.] (Falconry)
Defn: To recover to the fist, as a hawk. [Obs.]
RABATINERab"a*tine (rab"a*tin), n. [See Rabato.]
Defn: A collar or cape. [Obs.] Sir W. Scott.
RABATORa*ba"to (ra*ba"to), n. [F. rabat, fr. rabattre. See Rabate.]
Defn: A kind of ruff for the neck; a turned-down collar; a rebato.[Obs.] Shak.
RABBATERab*bate" (rab*bat"), v. t. [See Rabate.]
Defn: To abate or diminish. [Obs.] —n.
Defn: Abatement. [Obs.]
RABBETRab"bet (rab"bet), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rabbeted; p. pr. & vb. n.Rabbeting.] [F. raboter to plane, plane down,rabot a plane; pref. re-re- + OF. abouter, aboter. See Abut, and cf. Rebut.]
1. To cut a rabbet in; to furnish with a rabbet.
2. To unite the edges of, as boards, etc., in a rabbet joint.
RABBETRab"bet, n. [See Rabbet, v., and cf. Rebate, n.]
1. (Carp.) A longitudinal channel, groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of any body; especially, one intended to receive another member, so as to break or cover the joint, or more easily to hold the members in place; thus, the groove cut for a panel, for a pane of glass, or for a door, is a rabbet, or rebate.
2. Same as Rabbet joint, below.
Rabbet joint (Carp.), a joint formed by fitting together rabbeted boards or timbers; — called also rabbet. — Rabbet plane, a joiner's plane for cutting a rabbet. Moxon.
RABBIRab"bi (rab"bi or -bi; 277), n.; pl. Rabbis (-biz or -biz) orRabbies. [L., fr. Gr. "rabbi`, Heb. rabi my master, from rab master,lord, teacher, akin to Ar. rabb.]
Defn: Master; lord; teacher; — a Jewish title of respect or honor for a teacher or doctor of the law. "The gravest rabbies." Milton.
Be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even Christ, and allye are brethren.Matt. xxiii. 8.
RABBINRab"bin (rab"bin), n. [F.]
Defn: Same as Rabbi.
RABBINIC; RABBINICAL Rab*bin"ic (rab*bin"ik), Rab*bin"ic*al (-i*kal), a. [Cf. F. rabbinique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the rabbins or rabbis, or pertaining to the opinions, learning, or language of the rabbins. "Comments staler than rabbinic." Lowell.
We will not buy your rabbinical fumes.Milton.
RABBINICRab*bin"ic (rab*bin"ik), n.
Defn: The language or dialect of the rabbins; the later Hebrew.
RABBINICALLYRab*bin"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a rabbinical manner; after the manner of the rabbins.
RABBINISMRab"bin*ism (rab"bin*iz'm), n. [Cf. F. rabbinisme.]
1. A rabbinic expression or phraseology; a peculiarity of the language of the rabbins.
2. The teachings and traditions of the rabbins.
RABBINISTRab"bin*ist, n. [Cf. F. rabbiniste.]
Defn: One among the Jews who adhered to the Talmud and the traditions of the rabbins, in opposition to the Karaites, who rejected the traditions.
RABBINITERab"bin*ite (-it), n.
Defn: Same as Rabbinist.
RABBITINGRab"bit*ing, n.
Defn: The hunting of rabbits. T. Hughes.
RABBITRYRab"bit*ry (-ry), n.
Defn: A place where rabbits are kept; especially, a collection of hutches for tame rabbits.
RABBLERab"ble (rab"b'l), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Iron Manuf.)
Defn: An iron bar, with the end bent, used in stirring or skimming molten iron in the process of puddling.
RABBLERab"ble, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a rabble; like, or suited to, a rabble; disorderly; vulgar. [R.] Dryden.
RABBLE Rab"ble, n. [Probably named from the noise made by it (see Rabble, v. i.); cf. D. rapalje rabble, OF. & Prov. F. rapaille.]
1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; a mob; a confused, disorderly throng.
I saw, I say, come out of London, even unto the presence of the prince, a great rabble of mean and light persons. Ascham.
Jupiter, Mercury, Bacchus, Venus, Mars, and the whole rabble oflicentious deities.Bp. Warburton.
2. A confused, incoherent discourse; a medley of voices; a chatter.
The rabble, the lowest class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people. "The rabble call him "lord.'" Shak.
RABBLE Rab"ble, v. i. [Akin to D. rabbelen, Prov. G. rabbeln, to prattle, to chatter: cf. L. rabula a brawling advocate, a pettifogger, fr. rabere to rave. Cf. Rage.]
Defn: To speak in a confused manner. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
RABBLERab"ble, v. t.
Defn: To stir or skim with a rabble, as molten iron.
RABBLERab"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rabbled (-b'ld); p. pr. & vb. n.Rabbling (-bling).]
1. To insult, or assault, by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate. Macaulay.
The bishops' carriages were stopped and the prelates themselves rabbled on their way to the house. J. R. Green.
2. To utter glibly and incoherently; to mouth without intelligence. [Obs. or Scot.] Foxe.
3. To rumple; to crumple. [Scot.]
RABBLEMENTRab"ble*ment (rab"b'l*ment), n.
Defn: A tumultuous crowd of low people; a rabble. "Rude rablement."Spenser.
And still, as he refused it, the rabblement hooted.Shak.
RABBLERRab"bler (-bler), n. [See 2d Rabble.] (Mech.)
Defn: A scraping tool for smoothing metal.
RABBLE-ROUTRab"ble-rout` (-b'l-rout`), n.
Defn: A tumultuous crowd; a rabble; a noisy throng.
RABDOIDALRab*doid"al (rab*doid"al), a. [Gr. "ra`bdos a rod + -oid + -al.](Anat.)
Defn: See Sagittal. [Written also rhabdoidal.]
RABDOLOGY Rab*dol"o*gy (-dol"o*jy), n. [Gr. "ra`bdos rod, stick + -logy: cf. F. rabdologie.]
Defn: The method or art of performing arithmetical operations by means of Napier's bones. See Napier's bones. [Written also rhabdology.]
RABDOMANCYRab"do*man`cy (rab"do*man`sy), n. [Gr. "ra`bdos rod + -mancy.]
Defn: Divination by means of rods or wands. [Written also rhabdomancy.] Sir T. Browne.
RABIDRab"id (rab"id), a. [L. rabidus, from rabere to rave. See Rage, n.]
1. Furious; raging; extremely violent.
The rabid flightOf winds that ruin ships.Chapman.
2. Extreme, unreasonable, or fanatical in opinion; excessively zealous; as, a rabid socialist.
3. Affected with the distemper called rabies; mad; as, a rabid dog or fox.
4. (Med.) Of or pertaining to rabies, or hydrophobia; as, rabid virus.
RABIDITYRa*bid"i*ty (ra*bid"i*ty), n.
Defn: Rabidness; furiousness.
RABIDLYRab"id*ly (rab"id*ly), adv.
Defn: In a rabid manner; with extreme violence.
RABIDNESSRab"id*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being rabid.
RABIESRa"bi*es (ra"bi*ez), n. [L. See Rage, n.]
Defn: Same as Hydrophobia (b); canine madness.
RABINETRab"i*net (rab"i*net), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mil.)
Defn: A kind of small ordnance formerly in use. [Written also rabanet.] Ainsworth.
RABIOUSRa"bi*ous (ra"bi*us), a.
Defn: Fierce. [Obs.] Daniel.
RABOTRa"bot (ra"bot), n. [F.]
Defn: A rubber of hard wood used in smoothing marble to be polished.Knight.
RACARa"ca (ra"ka), a. [Gr. "raka`, from Chaldee reka.]
Defn: A term of reproach used by the Jews of our Savior's time, meaning "worthless."
Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of thecouncil.Matt. v. 22.
RACAHOUTRa`ca`hout" (ra`ka`oo"), n. [F. racahout, probably fr. Ar. raqaut.]
Defn: A preparation from acorns used by the Arabs as a substitute for chocolate, and also as a beverage for invalids.
RACCOON Rac*coon" (rak*koon"), n. [F. raton, prop., a little rat, fr. rat rat, perhaps of German origin. See Rat.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A North American nocturnal carnivore (Procyon lotor) allied to the bears, but much smaller, and having a long, full tail, banded with black and gray. Its body is gray, varied with black and white. Called also coon, and mapach.
Raccoon dog (Zoöl.), the tanate. — Raccoon fox (Zoöl.), the cacomixle.
RACERace, n. Etym: [OF. raïz, L. radix, -icis. See Radix.]
Defn: A root. "A race or two of ginger." Shak. Race ginger, ginger in the root, or not pulverized.
RACE Race, n. Etym: [F. race; cf. Pr. & Sp. raza, It. razza; all from OHG. reiza line, akin to E. write. See Write.]
1. The descendants of a common ancestor; a family, tribe, people, or nation, believed or presumed to belong to the same stock; a lineage; a breed. The whole race of mankind. Shak. Whence the long race of Alban fathers come. Dryden.
Note: Naturalists and ehnographers divide mankind into several distinct varieties, or races. Cuvier refers them all to three, Pritchard enumerates seven, Agassiz eight, Pickering describes eleven. One of the common classifications is that of Blumenbach, who makes five races: the Caucasian, or white race, to which belong the greater part of the European nations and those of Western Asia; the Mongolian, or yellow race, occupying Tartary, China, Japan, etc.; the Ethiopian, or negro race, occupying most of Africa (except the north), Australia, Papua, and other Pacific Islands; the American, or red race, comprising the Indians of North and South America; and the Malayan, or brown race, which occupies the islands of the Indian Archipelago, etc. Many recent writers classify the Malay and American races as branches of the Mongolian. See Illustration in Appendix.
2. Company; herd; breed. For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, Fetching mad bounds. Shak .
3. (Bot.)
Defn: A variety of such fixed character that it may be propagated by seed.
4. Peculiar flavor, taste, or strength, as of wine; that quality, or assemblage of qualities, which indicates origin or kind, as in wine; hence, characteristic flavor; smack. "A race of heaven." Shak. Is it [the wine] of the right race Massinqer.
5. Hence, characteristic quality or disposition. [Obs.] And now I give my sensual race the rein. Shak. Some . . . great race of fancy or judgment. Sir W. Temple.
Syn.— Lineage; line; family; house; breed; offspring; progeny; issue.
RACERace, n. Etym: [OE. ras, res, rees, AS. ræs a rush, running; akin toIcel. ras course, race. sq. root118.]
1. A progress; a course; a movement or progression.
2. Esp., swift progress; rapid course; a running. The flight of many birds is swifter than the race of any beasts. Bacon.
3. Hence: The act or process of running in competition; a contest of speed in any way, as in running, riding, driving, skating, rowing, sailing; in the plural, usually, a meeting for contests in the running of horses; as, he attended the races. The race is not to the swift. Eccl. ix. 11. I wield the gauntlet, and I run the race. Pope.
4. Competitive action of any kind, especially when prolonged; hence, career; course of life. My race of glory run, and race of shame. Milton.
5. A strong or rapid current of water, or the channel or passage for such a current; a powerful current or heavy sea, sometimes produced by the meeting of two tides; as, the Portland Race; the Race of Alderney.
6. The current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel in which it flows; a mill race.
Note: The part of the channel above the wheel is sometimes called the headrace, the part below, the tailrace.
7. (Mach.)
Defn: A channel or guide along which a shuttle is driven back and forth, as in a loom, sewing machine, etc. Race cloth, a cloth worn by horses in racing, having pockets to hold the weights prescribed. — Race course. (a) The path, generally circular or elliptical, over which a race is run. (b) Same as Race way, below. — Race cup, a cup given as a prize to the victor in a race. — Race glass, a kind of field glass. — Race horse. (a) A horse that runs in competition; specifically, a horse bred or kept for running races. (b) A breed of horses remarkable for swiftness in running. (c) (Zoöl.) The steamer duck. (d) (Zoöl.) A mantis. — Race knife, a cutting tool with a blade that is hooked at the point, for marking outlines, on boards or metals, as by a pattern, — used in shipbuilding. — Race saddle, a light saddle used in racing. — Race track. Same as Race course (a), above. — Race way, the canal for the current that drives a water wheel.
RACERace, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raced; p. pr. & vb. n. Racing.]
1. To run swiftly; to contend in a race; as, the animals raced over the ground; the ships raced from port to port.
2. (Steam Mach.)
Defn: To run too fast at times, as a marine engine or screw, when the screw is lifted out of water by the action of a heavy sea.
RACERace, v. t.
1. To cause to contend in race; to drive at high speed; as, to race horses.
2. To run a race with.
RACEABOUTRace"a*bout`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A small sloop-rigged racing yacht carrying about six hundred square feet of sail, distinguished from a knockabout by having a short bowsprit.
RACEMATERa*ce"mate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of racemic acid.
RACEMATION Rac`e*ma"tion, n. Etym: [L. racematio a gleaning, fr. racemari to glean, racemus a cluster of grapes. See Raceme.]
1. A cluster or bunch, as of grapes. Sir T. Browne.
2. Cultivation or gathering of clusters of grapes. [R.]
RACEME Ra*ceme", n. Etym: [L. racemus a bunch of berries, a cluster of grapes. See Raisin.] (Bot.)
Defn: A flower cluster with an elongated axis and many one-flowered lateral pedicels, as in the currant and chokecherry. Compound raceme, one having the lower pedicels developed into secondary racemes.
RACEMEDRa*cemed", a. (Bot.)
Defn: Arranged in a raceme, or in racemes.
RACEMICRa*ce"mic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. racémique. See Raceme.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid found in many kinds of grapes. It is also obtained from tartaric acid, with which it is isomeric, and from sugar, gum, etc., by oxidation. It is a sour white crystalline substance, consisting of a combination of dextrorotatory and levorotatory tartaric acids. Gregory.
RACEMIFEROUS Rac`e*mif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. racemifer bearing clusters; racemus cluster + ferre to bear: cf. F. racémifère.] (Bot.)
Defn: Bearing racemes, as the currant.
RACEMIFORMRa*cem"i*form, a.
Defn: Having the form of a raceme. Gray.
RACEMOSERac"e*mose`, a. Etym: [L. racemosus full of clusters.]
Defn: Resembling a raceme; growing in the form of a raceme; as, (Bot.) racemose berries or flowers; (Anat.) the racemose glands, in which the ducts are branched and clustered like a raceme. Gray.
RACEMOUSRac"e*mous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. racémeux.]
Defn: See Racemose.
RACEMULERac"e*mule, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A little raceme.
RACEMULOSERa*cem"u*lose`, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Growing in very small racemes.
RACERRa"cer, n.
1. One who, or that which, races, or contends in a race; esp., a race horse. And bade the nimblest racer seize the prize. Pope.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common American black snake.
3. (Mil.)
Defn: One of the circular iron or steel rails on which the chassis of a heavy gun is turned.
RACE SUICIDERace suicide.
Defn: The voluntary failure of the members of a race or people to have a number of children sufficient to keep the birth rate equal to the death rate.
RACH; RACHERach, Rache, n. Etym: [AS.ræcc; akin to Icel. rakki.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A dog that pursued his prey by scent, as distinguished from the greyhound.[Obs.]
RACHIALGIARa"chi*al"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A painful affection of the spine; especially, Pott's disease; also, formerly, lead colic.
RACHIDIANRa*chid"i*an, a. Etym: [See Rachis.] (Anat. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the rachis; spinal; vertebral. Same asRhachidian.
RACHILLARa*chil"la, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Same as Rhachilla.
RACHIODONTRa"chi*o*dont, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Rhachiodont.
RACHISRa"chis, n.; pl. E. Rachises, L. Rachides. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.[Written also rhachis.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The spine; the vertebral column.
2. (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Rhachis.
RACHITICRa*chit"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. rachitique. See Rachitis.] (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to rachitis; affected by rachitis; rickety.
RACHITISRa*chi"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. [Written also rhachitis.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: Literally, inflammation of the spine, but commonly applied to the rickets. See Rickets.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A disease which produces abortion in the fruit or seeds.Henslow.
RACHITOMERa"chi*tome, n. Etym: [F., fr. Gr.
Defn: A dissecting instrument for opening the spinal canal. [Written also rachiotome.]
RACIALRa"cial, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a race or family of men; as, the racial complexion.
RACILYRa"ci*ly, adv.
Defn: In a racy manner.
RACINESSRa"ci*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being racy; peculiar and piquant flavor. The general characteristics of his [Cobbett's] style were perspicuity, unequaled and inimitable; . . . a purity always simple, and raciness often elegant. London Times.
RACINGRa"cing,
Defn: a. & n. from Race, v. t. & i. Racing crab (Zoöl.), an ocypodian.
RACKRack, n.
Defn: Same as Arrack.
RACK Rack, n. Etym: [AS. hracca neck, hinder part of the head; cf. AS. hraca throat, G. rachen throat, E. retch.]
Defn: The neck and spine of a fore quarter of veal or mutton.
RACKRack, n. Etym: [See Wreck.]
Defn: A wreck; destruction. [Obs., except in a few phrases.] Rack and ruin, destruction; utter ruin. [Colloq.] — To go to rack, to perish; to be destroyed. [Colloq.] "All goes to rack." Pepys.
RACK Rack, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. Icel. rek drift, motion, and akin to reka to drive, and E. wrack, wreck. .]
Defn: Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vaporin the sky. Shak.The winds in the upper region, which move the clouds above, which wecall the rack, . . . pass without noise. Bacon.And the night rack came rolling up. C. Kingsley.
RACKRack, v. i.
Defn: To fly, as vapor or broken clouds.
RACKRack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Racked; p. pr. & vb. n. Racking.] Etym:[See Rack that which stretches, or Rock, v.]
Defn: To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace; — said of a horse. Fuller.
RACKRack, n.
Defn: A fast amble.
RACK Rack, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OF. vin raqué squeezed from the dregs of the grapes.]
Defn: To draw off from the lees or sediment, as wine.It is in common practice to draw wine or beer from the lees (which wecall racking), whereby it will clarify much the sooner. Bacon.Rack vintage, wine cleansed and drawn from the lees. Cowell.
RACK Rack, n. Etym: [Probably fr. D.rek, rekbank, a rack, rekken to stretch; akin to G. reck, reckbank, a rack, recken to stretch, Dan. række, Sw. räcka, Icel. rekja to spread out, Goth. refrakjan to stretch out; cf. L. porrigere, Gr. Right, a., Ratch.]
1. An instrument or frame used for stretching, extending, retaining, or displaying, something. Specifically: (a) An engine of torture, consisting of a large frame, upon which the body was gradually stretched until, sometimes, the joints were dislocated; — formerly used judicially for extorting confessions from criminals or suspected persons. During the troubles of the fifteenth century, a rack was introduced into the Tower, and was occasionally used under the plea of political necessity. Macaulay.
(b) An instrument for bending a bow. (c) A grate on which bacon is laid. (d) A frame or device of various construction for holding, and preventing the waste of, hay, grain, etc., supplied to beasts. (e) A frame on which articles are deposited for keeping or arranged for display; as, a clothes rack; a bottle rack, etc. (f) (Naut.) A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes; — called also rack block. Also, a frame to hold shot. (g) (Mining) A frame or table on which ores are separated or washed. (h) A frame fitted to a wagon for carrying hay, straw, or grain on the stalk, or other bulky loads. (i) A distaff.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: A bar with teeth on its face, or edge, to work with those of a wheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive it or be driven by it.
3. That which is extorted; exaction. [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys. Mangle rack. (Mach.) See under Mangle. n. — Rack block. (Naut.) See def. 1 (f), above. — Rack lashing, a lashing or binding where the rope is tightened, and held tight by the use of a small stick of wood twisted around. — Rack rail (Railroads), a toothed rack, laid as a rail, to afford a hold for teeth on the driving wheel of locomotive for climbing steep gradients, as in ascending a mountain. — Rack saw, a saw having wide teeth. — Rack stick, the stick used in a rack lashing. — To be on the rack, to suffer torture, physical or mental. — To live at rack and manger, to live on the best at another's expense. [Colloq.] — To put to the rack, to subject to torture; to torment. A fit of the stone puts a kingto the rack, and makes him as miserable as it does the meanest subject. Sir W. Temple.
RACKRack, v. t.
1. To extend by the application of force; to stretch or strain; specifically, to stretch on the rack or wheel; to torture by an engine which strains the limbs and pulls the joints. He was racked and miserably tormented. Pope.
2. To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish. Vaunting aloud but racked with deep despair. Milton.
3. To stretch or strain, in a figurative sense; hence, to harass, or oppress by extortion. The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants. Spenser. They [landlords] rack a Scripture simile beyond the true intent thereof. Fuller. Try what my credit can in Venice do; That shall be racked even to the uttermost. Shak.
4. (Mining)
Defn: To wash on a rack, as metals or ore.
5. (Naut.)
Defn: To bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc. To rack one's brains or wits, to exert them to the utmost for the purpose of accomplishing something.
Syn.— To torture; torment; rend; tear.
RACKABONESRack"a*bones`, n.
Defn: A very lean animal, esp. a horse. [Colloq. U. S.]
RACKAROCKRack"a*rock`, n. [Rack to stretch, strain + a + rock.]
Defn: A Sprengel explosive consisting of potassium chlorate and mono- nitrobenzene.
RACKERRack"er, n.
1. One who racks.
2. A horse that has a racking gait.
RACKET Rack"et, n. Etym: [F. raquette; cf. Sp. raquets, It. racchetta, which is perhaps for retichetta, and fr. L. rete a net (cf. Reticule); or perh. from the Arabic; cf. Ar. raha the palm of the hand (used at first to strike the ball), and OF. rachette, rasquette, carpus, tarsus.] [Written also racquet.]
1. A thin strip of wood, having the ends brought together, forming a somewhat elliptical hoop, across which a network of catgut or cord is stretched. It is furnished with a handle, and is used for catching or striking a ball in tennis and similar games. Each one [of the Indians] has a bat curved like a crosier, and ending in a racket. Bancroft.
2. A variety of the game of tennis played with peculiar long-handled rackets; — chiefly in the plural. Chaucer.
3. A snowshoe formed of cords stretched across a long and narrow frame of light wood. [Canada]
4. A broad wooden shoe or patten for a man horse, to enable him to step on marshy or soft ground. Racket court, a court for playing the game of rackets.
RACKETRack"et, v. t.
Defn: To strike with, or as with, a racket.Poor man [is] racketed from one temptation to another. Hewyt.
RACKETRack"et, n. Etym: [Gael. racaid a noise, disturbance.]
1. confused, clattering noise; din; noisy talk or sport.
2. A carouse; any reckless dissipation. [Slang]
RACKETRack"et, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Racketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Racketing.]
1. To make a confused noise or racket.
2. To engage in noisy sport; to frolic. Sterne.
3. To carouse or engage in dissipation. [Slang]
RACKETERRack"et*er, n.
Defn: One who makes, or engages in, a racket.
RACKETTRack"ett, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mus.)
Defn: An old wind instrument of the double bassoon kind, having ventages but not keys.
RACKET-TAILRack"et-tail n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of humming birds of the genus Steganura, having two of the tail feathers very long and racket- shaped.
RACKET-TAILEDRack"et-tailed`, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having long and spatulate, or racket-shaped, tail feathers.
RACKETYRack"et*y, a.
Defn: Making a tumultuous noise.
RACKINGRack"ing, n. (Naut.)
Defn: Spun yarn used in racking ropes.
RACK-RENTRack"-rent`, n.
Defn: A rent of the full annual value of the tenement, or near it; an excessive or unreasonably high rent. Blackstone.
RACK-RENTRack"-rent`, v. t.
Defn: To subject to rack-rent, as a farm or tenant.
RACK-RENTERRack"-rent`er, n.
1. One who is subjected to playing rack-rent.
2. One who exacts rack-rent.
RACKTAILRack"tail`, n. (Horol.)
Defn: An arm attached to a swinging notched arc or rack, to let off the striking mechanism of a repeating clock.
RACKWORKRack"work`, n.
Defn: Any mechanism having a rack, as a rack and pinion.
RACLERa"cle, a.
Defn: See Rakel. [Obs.] Chaucer.
RACLENESSRa"cle*ness, n.
Defn: See Rakelness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
RACONTEURRa`con`teur", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A relater; a storyteller.
RACOONDARa*coon"da, n. Etym: [From a native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The coypu.
RACOVIANRa*co"vi*an, n. Etym: [From Racow.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect of Socinians or Unitarians in Poland.
RACQUETRac"quet, n.
Defn: See Racket.
RACY Ra"cy, a. [Compar. Racier; superl. Raciest.] Etym: [From Race a tribe, family.]
1. Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil; hence, fresh; rich. The racy wine, Late from the mellowing cask restored to light. Pope.
2. Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or distinctivecharacter of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh andlively.Our raciest, most idiomatic popular word. M. Arnold.Burn's English, though not so racy as his Scotch, is generallycorrect. H. Coleridge.The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh from the plow.Prof. Wilson.
Syn. — Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant. — Racy, Spicy. Racy refers primarily to that peculiar flavor which certain wines are supposed to derive from the soil in which the grapes were grown; and hence we call a style or production racy when it "smacks of the soil," or has an uncommon degree of natural freshness and distinctiveness of thought and language. Spicy, when applied, has reference to a spirit and pungency added by art, seasoning the matter like a condiment. It does not, like racy, suggest native peculiarity. A spicy article in a magazine; a spicy retort. Racy in conversation; a racy remark. Rich, racy verses, in which we The soil from which they come, taste, smell, and see. Cowley.
RADRad, obs.
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Read, Rede. Spenser.
RADDERad"de, obs.
Defn: imp. of Read, Rede. Chaucer.
RADDLERad"dle, n. Etym: [Cf. G. räder, rädel, sieve, or perhaps E. reed.]
1. A long, flexible stick, rod, or branch, which is interwoven with others, between upright posts or stakes, in making a kind of hedge or fence.
2. A hedge or fence made with raddles; — called also raddle hedge. Todd.
3. An instrument consisting of a woodmen bar, with a row of upright pegs set in it, used by domestic weavers to keep the warp of a proper width, and prevent tangling when it is wound upon the beam of the loom.
RADDLERad"dle, v. t.
Defn: To interweave or twist together.Raddling or working it up like basket work. De Foe.
RADDLERad"dle, n. Etym: [Cf. Ruddle.]
Defn: A red pigment used in marking sheep, and in some mechanical processes; ruddle. "A ruddle of rouge." Thackeray.
RADDLERad"dle, v. t.
Defn: To mark or paint with, or as with, raddle. "Whitened and raddled old women." Thackeray.
RADDOCKRad"dock, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ruddock. [Prov. Eng.]
RADERade, n.
Defn: A raid. [Scot.]
RADEAURa`deau", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A float; a raft. Three vessels under sail, and one at anchor, above Split Rock, and behind it the radeau Thunderer. W. Irving.
RADIALRa"di*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. radial. See Radius.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a radius or ray; consisting of, or like, radii or rays; radiated; as, (Bot.) radial projections; (Zoöl.) radial vessels or canals; (Anat.) the radial artery. Radial symmetry. (Biol.) See under Symmetry.
RADIALERa`di*a"le, n.; pl. Radialia. Etym: [NL. See Radial.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The bone or cartilage of the carpus which articulates with the radius and corresponds to the scaphoid bone in man.
2. pl. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Radial plates in the calyx of a crinoid.
RADIAL ENGINERadial engine. (Mach.)
Defn: An engine, usually an internal-combustion engine of a certain type (the radial type) having several cylinders arranged radially like the spokes of a complete wheel. The semiradial engine has radiating cylinders on only one side of the crank shaft.
RADIALLYRa"di*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a radial manner.
RADIANRa"di*an, n. Etym: [From Radius.] (Math.)
Defn: An arc of a circle which is equal to the radius, or the angle measured by such an arc.
RADIANCE; RADIANCYRa"di*ance, Ra"di*an*cy, n.
Defn: The quality of being radiant; brilliancy; effulgence; vividbrightness; as, the radiance of the sun.Girt with omnipotence, with radiance crowned. Milton.What radiancy of glory, What light beyond compare ! Neale.
Syn.— Luster; brilliancy; splendor; glare; glitter.
RADIANT Ra"di*ant, a. Etym: [L. radians, -antis, p. pr. of radiare to emit rays or beams, fr. radius ray: cf. F. radiant. See Radius, Ray a divergent line.]
1. Emitting or proceeding as from a center; [U.S.] rays; radiating; radiate.
2. Especially, emitting or darting rays of light or heat; issuing in beams or rays; beaming with brightness; emitting a vivid light or splendor; as, the radiant sun. Mark what radiant state she spreads. Milton.
3. Beaming with vivacity and happiness; as, a radiant face.
4. (Her.)
Defn: Giving off rays; — said of a bearing; as, the sun radiant; a crown radiant.
5. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a raylike appearance, as the large marginal flowers of certain umbelliferous plants; — said also of the cluster which has such marginal flowers. Radiant energy (Physics), energy given out or transmitted by radiation, as in the case of light and radiant heat. — Radiant heat, proceeding in right lines, or directly from the heated body, after the manner of light, in distinction from heat conducted or carried by intervening media. — Radiant point. (Astron.) See Radiant, n., 3.