Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter R - Page 1

R () 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.

Ra (n.) A roe; a deer.

Ra- () A prefix, from the Latin re and ad combined, coming to us through the French and Italian. See Re-, and Ad-.

Raash (n.) The electric catfish.

Rab (n.) A rod or stick used by masons in mixing hair with mortar.

Rabat (n.) A polishing material made of potter's clay that has failed in baking.

Rabate (v.) To recover to the fist, as a hawk.

Rabatine (n.) A collar or cape.

Rabato (n.) A kind of ruff for the neck; a turned-down collar; a rebato.

Rabbate (v. t.) To abate or diminish.

Rabbate (n.) Abatement.

Rabbeted (imp. & p. p.) of Rabbet

Rabbeting (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Rabbet

Rabbet (v. t.) To cut a rabbet in; to furnish with a rabbet.

Rabbet (v. t.) To unite the edges of, as boards, etc., in a rabbet joint.

Rabbet (n.) 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.

Rabbet (n.) Same as Rabbet joint, below.

Rabbis (pl. ) of Rabbi

Rabbies (pl. ) of Rabbi

Rabbi (n.) Master; lord; teacher; -- a Jewish title of respect or honor for a teacher or doctor of the law.

Rabbin (n.) Same as Rabbi.

Rabbinic (a.) Alt. of Rabbinical

Rabbinical (a.) Of or pertaining to the rabbins or rabbis, or pertaining to the opinions, learning, or language of the rabbins.

Rabbinic (n.) The language or dialect of the rabbins; the later Hebrew.

Rabbinically (adv.) In a rabbinical manner; after the manner of the rabbins.

Rabbinism (n.) A rabbinic expression or phraseology; a peculiarity of the language of the rabbins.

Rabbinism (n.) The teachings and traditions of the rabbins.

Rabbinist (n.) One among the Jews who adhered to the Talmud and the traditions of the rabbins, in opposition to the Karaites, who rejected the traditions.

Rabbinite (n.) Same as Rabbinist.

Rabbit (n.) Any of the smaller species of the genus Lepus, especially the common European species (Lepus cuniculus), which is often kept as a pet, and has been introduced into many countries. It is remarkably prolific, and has become a pest in some parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Rabbiting (n.) The hunting of rabbits.

Rabbitry (n.) A place where rabbits are kept; especially, a collection of hutches for tame rabbits.

Rabble (n.) An iron bar, with the end bent, used in stirring or skimming molten iron in the process of puddling.

Rabble (v. t.) To stir or skim with a rabble, as molten iron.

Rabble (v. i.) To speak in a confused manner.

Rabble (v. i.) A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; a mob; a confused, disorderly throng.

Rabble (v. i.) A confused, incoherent discourse; a medley of voices; a chatter.

Rabble (a.) Of or pertaining to a rabble; like, or suited to, a rabble; disorderly; vulgar.

Rabbled (imp. & p. p.) of Rabble

Rabbling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Rabble

Rabble (v. t.) To insult, or assault, by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate.

Rabble (v. t.) To utter glibly and incoherently; to mouth without intelligence.

Rabble (v. t.) To rumple; to crumple.

Rabblement (n.) A tumultuous crowd of low people; a rabble.

Rabbler (n.) A scraping tool for smoothing metal.

Rabble-rout (n.) A tumultuous crowd; a rabble; a noisy throng.

Rabdoidal (a.) See Sagittal.

Rabdology (n.) The method or art of performing arithmetical operations by means of Napier's bones. See Napier's bones.

Rabdomancy (n.) Divination by means of rods or wands.

Rabid (n.) Furious; raging; extremely violent.

Rabid (n.) Extreme, unreasonable, or fanatical in opinion; excessively zealous; as, a rabid socialist.

Rabid (n.) Affected with the distemper called rabies; mad; as, a rabid dog or fox.

Rabid (n.) Of or pertaining to rabies, or hydrophobia; as, rabid virus.

Rabidity (n.) Rabidness; furiousness.

Rabidly (adv.) In a rabid manner; with extreme violence.

Rabidness (n.) The quality or state of being rabid.

Rabies (n.) Same as Hydrophobia (b); canine madness.

Rabinet (n.) A kind of small ordnance formerly in use.

Rabious (a.) Fierce.

Rabot (n.) A rubber of hard wood used in smoothing marble to be polished.

Raca (a.) A term of reproach used by the Jews of our Savior's time, meaning "worthless."

Racahout (n.) A preparation from acorns used by the Arabs as a substitute for chocolate, and also as a beverage for invalids.

Raccoon (n.) 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.

Race (v. t.) To raze.

Race (n.) A root.

Race (n.) 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.

Race (n.) Company; herd; breed.

Race (n.) A variety of such fixed character that it may be propagated by seed.

Race (n.) 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.

Race (n.) Hence, characteristic quality or disposition.

Race (n.) A progress; a course; a movement or progression.

Race (n.) Esp., swift progress; rapid course; a running.

Race (n.) 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.

Race (n.) Competitive action of any kind, especially when prolonged; hence, career; course of life.

Race (n.) 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.

Race (n.) The current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel in which it flows; a mill race.

Race (n.) A channel or guide along which a shuttle is driven back and forth, as in a loom, sewing machine, etc.

Raced (imp. & p. p.) of Race

Racing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Race

Race (v. i.) To run swiftly; to contend in a race; as, the animals raced over the ground; the ships raced from port to port.

Race (v. i.) 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.

Race (v. t.) To cause to contend in a race; to drive at high speed; as, to race horses.

Race (v. t.) To run a race with.

Racemate (n.) A salt of racemic acid.

Racemation (n.) A cluster or bunch, as of grapes.

Racemation (n.) Cultivation or gathering of clusters of grapes.

Raceme (n.) A flower cluster with an elongated axis and many one-flowered lateral pedicels, as in the currant and chokecherry.

Racemed (a.) Arranged in a raceme, or in racemes.

Racemic (a.) 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.

Racemiferous (a.) Bearing racemes, as the currant.

Racemiform (a.) Having the form of a raceme.

Racemose (a.) 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.

Racemous (a.) See Racemose.

Racemule (n.) A little raceme.

Racemulose (a.) Growing in very small racemes.

Racer (n.) One who, or that which, races, or contends in a race; esp., a race horse.

Racer (n.) The common American black snake.

Racer (n.) One of the circular iron or steel rails on which the chassis of a heavy gun is turned.

Rach (n.) Alt. of Rache

Rache (n.) A dog that pursued his prey by scent, as distinguished from the greyhound.

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