Rhonchus, rong′kus, n. a râle, esp. when bronchial.—adjs. Rhonch′al, Rhonch′ial. [L.,—Gr. rhengchos, a snoring—rhengkein, to snore.]
Rhopalic, rō-pal′ik, n. a hexameter in which each succeeding word contains one syllable more than what precedes it. [Gr. rhopalikos, club-like, rhopalon, a club.]
Rhopalocera, rō-pa-los′e-ra, n.pl. an order of Lepidoptera, with clubbed antennæ.—adjs. Rhopaloc′eral, Rhopaloc′erous. [Gr. rhopalon, a club, keras, a horn.]
Rhopalodinidæ, rō-pa-lō-din′i-dē, n.pl. the sea-gourds.
Rhotacism, rō′ta-sizm, n. erroneous pronunciation of the letter r: burring: the tendency of s to change into r.—v.i. Rhō′tacise.
Rhubarb, rōō′bärb, n. a plant, the tender acidulous leaf-stalks of which are much used in cooking, and the root in medicine: the root of any medicinal rhubarb, with cathartic properties.—adj. Rhu′barby.—Monk's rhubarb, the patience dock. [O. Fr. rheubarbe—Low L. rheubarbarum—Gr. rhēon barbaron—rhēon, adj. of rha, the rha-plant, from the Rha, the Volga.]
Rhumb, rumb, or rum, n. any vertical circle, hence any point of the compass.—ns. Rhumb′-line, a line which cuts all the meridians at the same angle; Rhumb′-sail′ing, the course of a vessel keeping straight on a rhumb-line. [Fr. rumb, a by-form of rhombe, through L., from Gr. rhombos, rhomb.]
Rhus, rus, n. a genus of shrubs and trees, the cashew-nut family. [L.,—Gr. rhous, sumac.]
Rhusma, rus′ma, n. a mixture of quicklime and orpiment, used as a depilatory.—Also Rus′ma.
Rhyacolite, rī-ak′ō-līt, n. a glassy feldspar found at Mt. Somma in Italy. [Gr. rhyax, rhyakos, a stream, lithos, stone.]