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rail - 19 dictionary results
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rail
1
[reyl] 
–noun
| 1. | a bar of wood or metal fixed horizontally for any of various purposes, as for a support, barrier, fence, or railing. |
| 2. | a fence; railing. |
| 3. | one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack. |
| 4. | one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives and railroad cars. |
| 5. | the railroad as a means of transportation: to travel by rail. |
| 6. | rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies. |
| 7. | Nautical. a horizontal member capping a bulwark. |
| 8. | Carpentry, Furniture. any of various horizontal members framing panels or the like, as in a system of paneling, paneled door, window sash, or chest of drawers. Compare stile 2 . |
| 9. | Slang. a line of cocaine crystals or powder for inhaling through the nose. |
–verb (used with object)
| 10. | to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails. |
Related forms:
railless, adjective
raillike, adjective
rail
2 [reyl] –verb (used without object)
| 1. | to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often fol. by at or against): to rail at fate. |
–verb (used with object)
| 2. | to bring, force, etc., by railing. |
Origin:
1425–75; late ME railen < MF railler to deride < Pr ralhar to chatter < VL *ragulāre, deriv. of LL ragere to bray
1425–75; late ME railen < MF railler to deride < Pr ralhar to chatter < VL *ragulāre, deriv. of LL ragere to bray
Related forms:
railer, noun
rail⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms:
1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.
1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.
rail
3 [reyl] –noun
| any of numerous birds of the family Rallidae, that have short wings, a narrow body, long toes, and a harsh cry and inhabit grasslands, forests, and marshes in most parts of the world. |
Origin:
1400–50; late ME rale < OF raale (c. Pr rascla), n. deriv. of raler < VL *rāsiculāre freq. of L rādere (ptp. rāsus) to scratch
1400–50; late ME rale < OF raale (c. Pr rascla), n. deriv. of raler < VL *rāsiculāre freq. of L rādere (ptp. rāsus) to scratch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To rail
| rail 1 (rāl) n.
To supply or enclose with rails or a rail. [Middle English raile, from Old French reille, from Latin rēgula, straight piece of wood, ruler; see reg- in Indo-European roots.] |
| rail 2 (rāl) n. Any of various marsh birds of the family Rallidae, characteristically having brownish plumage and short wings adapted only for short flights. [Middle English raile, from Old French raale, perhaps from Old French raler, racler, to scrape, from Old Provençal rasclar; see raclette.] |
| rail 3 (rāl) intr.v. railed, rail·ing, rails To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh, or abusive language. See Synonyms at scold. [Middle English railen, from Old French railler, to tease, joke, from Old Provençal ralhar, to chat, joke, from Vulgar Latin *ragulāre, to bray, from Late Latin ragere.] rail'er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Rail
Rail\, n. A railroad as a means of transportation; as, to go by rail; a place not accesible by rail.Rail
Rail\, n. [OE. reil, re[yogh]el, AS. hr[ae]gel, hr[ae]gl a garment; akin to OHG. hregil, OFries. hreil.] An outer cloak or covering; a neckerchief for women. --Fairholt.Rail
Rail\, v. i. [Etymol. uncertain.] To flow forth; to roll out; to course. [Obs.] Streams of tears from her fair eyes forth railing. --Spenser.Rail
Rail\, n. [Akin to LG. & Sw. regel bar, bolt, G. riegel a rail, bar, or bolt, OHG, rigil, rigel, bar, bolt, and possibly to E. row a line.]1. A bar of timber or metal, usually horizontal or nearly so, extending from one post or support to another, as in fences, balustrades, staircases, etc. 2. (Arch.) A horizontal piece in a frame or paneling. See Illust. of Style. 3. (Railroad) A bar of steel or iron, forming part of the track on which the wheels roll. It is usually shaped with reference to vertical strength, and is held in place by chairs, splices, etc. 4. (Naut.) (a) The stout, narrow plank that forms the top of the bulwarks. (b) The light, fencelike structures of wood or metal at the break of the deck, and elsewhere where such protection is needed. Rail fence. See under Fence. Rail guard. (a) A device attached to the front of a locomotive on each side for clearing the rail obstructions. (b) A guard rail. See under Guard. Rail joint (Railroad), a splice connecting the adjacent ends of rails, in distinction from a chair, which is merely a seat. The two devices are sometimes united. Among several hundred varieties, the fish joint is standard. See Fish joint, under Fish. Rail train (Iron & Steel Manuf.), a train of rolls in a rolling mill, for making rails for railroads from blooms or billets.Rail
Rail\, n. [F. r[^a]le, fr. r[^a]ler to have a rattling in the throat; of German origin, and akin to E. rattle. See Rattle, v.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family Rallid[ae], especially those of the genus Rallus, and of closely allied genera. They are prized as game birds. Note: The common European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is called also bilcock, skitty coot, and brook runner. The best known American species are the clapper rail, or salt-marsh hen (Rallus lonqirostris, var. crepitans); the king, or red-breasted, rail (R. elegans) (called also fresh-water marshhen); the lesser clapper, or Virginia, rail (R. Virginianus); and the Carolina, or sora, rail (Porzana Carolina). See Sora. Land rail (Zo["o]l.), the corncrake.Rail
Rail\, v. i. [F. railler; cf. Sp. rallar to grate, scrape, molest; perhaps fr. (assumed) LL. radiculare, fr. L. radere to scrape, grate. Cf. Rally to banter, Rase.] To use insolent and reproachful language; to utter reproaches; to scoff; followed by at or against, formerly by on. --Shak. And rail at arts he did not understand. --Dryden. Lesbia forever on me rails. --Swift.Rail
Rail\, v. t. 1. To rail at. [Obs.] --Feltham. 2. To move or influence by railing. [R.] Rail the seal from off my bond. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : rail
Spanish:
barra,
German:
das Geländer, die Stange,
Japanese:
横棒
rail (n.1)
"bar," c.1320, from O.Fr. reille, from V.L. *regla, from L. regula "straight stick," dim. form related to regere "to straighten, guide" (see right). Used figuratively for "thinness" from 1872. Technically, railings (1471) are horizontal, palings are vertical.
rail (n.2)
"small bird," c.1450, from O.Fr. raale (13c.), related to râler "to rattle," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative.
rail (v.)
"complain," 1460, from M.Fr. railler "to tease or joke" (15c.), perhaps from O.Prov. ralhar "scoff, to chat, to joke," from V.L. *ragulare "to bray" (cf. It. ragghiare "to bray"), from L.L. ragere "to roar," probably of imitative origin. See rally (2). Raillery "good-humored ridicule" is from 1653.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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RAIL robotics
Automatix. High-level language for industrial robots.
(2006-11-10)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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rail
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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