Rail, rāl, n. a bar of timber or metal extending from one support to another, as in fences, staircases, &c.: one of those steel bars used on the permanent way of a railway, generally of that form known as the T-rail: a barrier: the railway as a means of travel or transport: (archit.) the horizontal part of a frame and panel: (naut.) the forecastle-rail, poop-rail, and top-rail are bars across the forecastle, &c.—v.t. to enclose with rails: to furnish with rails.—ns. Rail′-bend′er, a screw-press for straightening rails; Rail′-bor′er, a hand-drill for rails; Rail′-chair, an iron block by which the rails are secured to the sleepers; Rail′-clamp, a wedge for clamping a rail firmly; Rail′-coup′ling, a bar by which the opposite rails of a railway are connected at curves, switches, &c.; Rail′-guard, a guard-rail before a front wheel; Rail′ing, a fence of posts and rails: material for rails; Rail′-punch, a machine for punching holes in the webs of rails; Rail′road, Rail′way, a road or way laid with iron rails on which carriages run.—v.t. Rail′road (U.S.), to push forward fast.—ns. Rail′roader, one employed about a railway; Rail′road-worm, the apple maggot; Rail′-saw, a portable machine for sawing off metal rails; Rail′-split′ter (U.S.), one who splits logs into rails for a fence; Rail′way-car, a vehicle for the transportation of passengers and goods; Rail′way-carr′iage, a carriage for the conveyance of passengers; Rail′way-cross′ing, an intersection of railway-lines: an intersection of an ordinary road with a railroad; Rail′way-slide, a turn-table; Rail′way-stitch, a loose and rapid stitch in knitting or crochet-work; Rail′way-train (see Train).—Railway company, a stock company formed for the construction and working of a railway, usually organised by a legislative enactment.—Elevated railway, an elevated bridge-like structure used for railway purposes, to avoid obstruction of surface roadways; Military railway, a railway equipped for military service, the locomotives being armoured, and the carriages armour-plated and provided with portholes for rifles; Portable railway, a light railway made in detachable sections, and so suited for carrying easily from place to place. [Low Ger. regel, prob. through O. Fr. reille; cf. Ger. riegel, a bar. Some refer to L. regula through O. Fr. reille.]
Rail, rāl, v.i. to brawl: to use insolent language.—v.t. to scoff at, affect by railing.—n. Rail′er, one who rails: one who insults or defames by opprobrious language.—adj. Rail′ing, reproachful, insulting.—n. reproachful and insulting language.—adv. Rail′ingly, in a railing manner: scoffingly: insultingly.—n. Raillery (rāl′ėr-i, or ral′-), railing or mockery: banter: good-humoured irony. [Fr. railler—L. rallum, a hoe—radĕre, to scrape.]
Rail, rāl, n. a genus of wading-birds with a harsh cry.—n. Rail′-bird, the Carolina rail.—Golden rail, a rail snipe. [O. Fr. rasle (Fr. râle)—Old Dut. ratelen, to rattle.]
Rail, rāl, v.i. (Spens.) to flow or pour down.
Rail, rāl, n. a robe—now only in Night-rail.
Raiment, rā′ment, n. that in which one is dressed: clothing in general. [For arraiment. Cf. Array.]
Rain, rān, n. water from the clouds in drops: a shower: a fall of any substance through the atmosphere in the manner of rain.—v.i. to fall from the clouds: to drop like rain.—v.t. to pour like rain.—ns. Rain′band, a dark band in the solar spectrum; Rain′-bird, a bird, like the Rain′-crow, supposed to foretell rain by its cries and actions; Rain′bow, the brilliant-coloured bow or arch seen when rain is falling opposite the sun, called lunar rainbow when formed by the moon; Rain′bow-dart′er, the soldier-fish.—adjs. Rain′bowed, formed with, or like, a rainbow; Rain′bow-tint′ed, having tints like those of a rainbow: iridescent.—ns. Rain′bow-trout, a variety of the Californian salmon; Rain′-cham′ber, an attachment to a furnace in which the fumes of any metal are condensed; Rain′-chart, -map, a chart giving information as to the distribution of rain in any part of the world; Rain′-cloud, a cloud in meteorology called nimbus; Rain′drop, a drop of rain; Rain′fall, a fall of rain: the amount of water that falls in a given time in the form of rain; Rain′-gauge, an instrument for measuring the quantity of rain that falls; Rain′iness, the state of being rainy.—adj. Rain′less, without rain.—ns. Rain′-mak′er, -doc′tor, a sorcerer, as those of Africa, professing to bring rain; Rain′-pour, a heavy rainfall; Rain′-print, one of the small pits seen on the surfaces of some argillaceous rocks, and believed to be the impressions of raindrops.—adjs. Rain′-proof, -tight, impervious to rain.—ns. Rain′storm; Rain′-tree, the genisaro of South America; Rain′-wa′ter, water which falls in rain from the clouds.—adj. Rain′y, abounding with rain: showery.—Rain cats and dogs (see Cat).—A rainy day (fig.), a time of need or hardship: future want or need; The former and the latter rain, Palestine, the rain in spring and in autumn: rain in its season. [A.S. regn, rén, rain; Dut. and Ger. regen, Ice. regn.]
Raindeer. Same as Reindeer.
Raise, rāz, v.t. to cause to rise: to lift up: to hoist: to set upright: to originate or produce: to bring together: to cause to grow or breed: to produce: to give rise to: to exalt: to increase the strength of: to excite: to collect: muster: (Scot.) to rouse, inflame: to recall from death: to cause to swell, as dough: to extol: to bring up: to remove, take off, as a blockade: to collect, as to raise a company: to give rise to, as to raise a laugh.—n. an ascent, a cairn: (coll.) an enlargement, increase.—adj. Rais′able, capable of being raised.—ns. Rais′er, one who, or that which, raises a building, &c.: (archit.) the upright board on the front of a step in a flight of steps; Rais′ing, the act of lifting: the embossing of sheet-metal by hammering or stamping: the process of deepening colours in dyeing: that with which bread is raised; Rais′ing-bee, a gathering of neighbours to help in raising the frame of a house, &c.; Rais′ing-board, a ribbed board by which to raise the grain of leather; Rais′ing-gig, a machine for raising a nap on cloth; Rais′ing-piece, a piece of timber laid on a brick wall, or on a frame, to carry a beam or beams; Rais′ing-plate, a horizontal timber supporting the heels of rafters.—Raise a siege, to relinquish a siege, or cause this to be done; Raise bread, to make it light, as by yeast or leaven; Raise Cain, the devil, hell, the mischief, &c., to create confusion or riot; Raised beach (geol.), a terrace of gravel, &c., marking the margin of an ancient sea; Raised embroidery, that in which the pattern is raised in relief from the ground; Raised work, in lace-making, work having the edge or some other part of the pattern raised in relief; Raise money on, to get money by pawning something; Raise one's dander (see Dander); Raise the market upon (coll.), to charge more than the regular price; Raise the wind, to obtain money by any shift. [M. E. reisen—Ice. reisa, causal of rísa, to rise. Cf. Rise.]
Raisin, rā′zn, n. a dried ripe grape.—Raisin wine, wine made from dried grapes. [Fr.,—L. racemus, a bunch of grapes.]