Raison d'être, rā-zong′ dā′tr, n. reason or excuse for being: rational ground for existence.—adj. Raisonné (rā-zo-nā′), reasoned out, systematic, as in 'catalogue raisonné.' [Fr. raison, reason, de, of, être, to be.]
Rajah, Raja, rä′ja, n. a native prince or king in Hindustan.—ns. Raj (räj), rule; Ra′jahship, the dignity or principality of a rajah; Rajpoot, Rajput (räj-poot′), a member of various tribes in India, descended either from the old royal races of the Hindus or from the warrior caste. [Sans. rājan, a king, cog. with L. rex; Sans. putra, a son.]
Rake, rāk, n. an instrument with teeth or pins for smoothing earth, &c.: any tool consisting of a flat blade at right angles to a long handle.—v.t. to scrape with something toothed: to draw together: to gather with difficulty: to level with a rake: to search diligently: to pass over violently and swiftly: (naut.) to fire into, as a ship, lengthwise: to inter or hide, as by raking earth over a body.—v.i. to work with a rake: to search minutely.—ns. Rā′ker; Rā′king, the act or operation of using a rake: the space raked at once: the quantity collected at once with a rake: sharp criticism.—adj. such as to rake, as a raking fire.—Rake hell, to search even hell to find a person equally bad; Rake up, to cover with material raked or scraped together: to draw from oblivion, to revive. [A.S. raca, a rake; Ger. rechen, Ice. reka, a shovel.]
Rake, rāk, n. [Contr. of rakehell.]
Rake, rāk, n. (naut.) the projection of the stem and stern of a ship beyond the extremities of the keel: the inclination of a mast from the perpendicular.—v.i. to incline from the perpendicular or the horizontal.—v.t. to cause to incline or slope.—adj. Rā′kish, having a rake or inclination of the masts.—adv. Rā′kishly. [Scand., Sw. raka, to reach.]
Rake, rāk, n. a dissolute person: a libertine.—v.i. to lead a debauched life, esp. to make a practice of lechery.—n. Rake′hell, a rascal or villain: a debauchee.—adjs. Rake′hell, -y, dissolute.—ns. Rakehellō′nian, a rakehell; Rā′kery, dissoluteness; Rake′shame (Milt.), a base, dissolute wretch.—adj. Rā′kish, like a rake: dissolute: debauched.—adv. Rā′kishly.—n. Rā′kishness, dissoluteness: the state of being rakish or dissolute: dissolute practices. [Corr. of M. E. rakel, corr. into rakehell, shortened to rake; Scand., as Sw. rakkel, a vagabond, Ice. reikall, unsettled—reika, to wander.]
Rake, rāk, v.i. (prov.) to wander, to take a course, proceed: (hunting) of a hawk, to fly wide of the game: of a dog, to follow a wrong course.—Rake about (Scot.), to gad or wander about. [M. E. raken—A.S. racian, to run; confused with M. E. raiken—Ice. reika, to wander.]
Raki, rak′ē, n. a spirituous liquor used in the Levant and Greece.—Also Rak′ee. [Turk.]
Rakshas, -a, rak′shas, -ä, n. in Hindu mythology, one of a class of evil spirits or genii, generally hideous, frequenting cemeteries.
Râle, räl, n. (path.) an abnormal sound heard on auscultation of the lungs. [Fr.,—râler, to rattle—Low Ger. ratelen, to rattle.]