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rampant
5 dictionary results for: Rampant
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ramp·ant 
[ram-puhnt] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[ram-puhnt] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | violent in action or spirit; raging; furious: a rampant leopard. |
| 2. | growing luxuriantly, as weeds. |
| 3. | in full sway; prevailing or unchecked: a rampant rumor. |
| 4. | (of an animal) standing on the hind legs; ramping. |
| 5. | Heraldry. (of a beast used as a charge) represented in profile facing the dexter side, with the body upraised and resting on the left hind leg, the tail and other legs elevated, the right foreleg highest, and the head in profile unless otherwise specified: a lion rampant. |
| 6. | Architecture. (of an arch or vault) springing at one side from one level of support and resting at the other on a higher level. |
—Related forms
ramp·ant·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 3. rife, widespread, unrestrained.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ram·pant
(rām'pənt) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) adj.
[Middle English rampaunt, from Old French rampant, present participle of ramper, to ramp; see ramp2.] ram'pan·cy n., ram'pant·ly adv. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
rampant
rampant
1382, "standing on the hind legs" (as a heraldic lion often does), thus, later, "fierce, ravenous" (1387), from O.Fr. rampant, prp. of ramper "to creep, climb" (see rampage). Sense of "growing without check" (in running rampant), first recorded 1619, preserves the O.Fr. sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| rampant | |
adjective | |
| 1. | unrestrained and violent; "rampant aggression" |
| 2. | rearing on left hind leg with forelegs elevated and head usually in profile; "a lion rampant" |
| 3. | (of a plant) having a lush and unchecked growth; "a rampant growth of weeds" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Rampant
Ramp"ant\, a. [F., p. pr. of ramper to creep. See Ramp, v.]1. Ramping; leaping; springing; rearing upon the hind legs; hence, raging; furious. The fierce lion in his kind Which goeth rampant after his prey. --Gower. [The] lion . . . rampant shakes his brinded mane. --Milton. 2. Ascending; climbing; rank in growth; exuberant. The rampant stalk is of unusual altitude. --I. Taylor. 3. (Her.) Rising with fore paws in the air as if attacking; -- said of a beast of prey, especially a lion. The right fore leg and right hind leg should be raised higher than the left. Rampant arch. (a) An arch which has one abutment higher than the other. (b) Same as Rampant vault, below. Rampant gardant (Her.), rampant, but with the face turned to the front. Rampant regardant, rampant, but looking backward. Rampant vault (Arch.), a continuous wagon vault, or cradle vault, whose two abutments are located on an inclined planed plane, such as the vault supporting a stairway, or forming the ceiling of a stairway.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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