railing
Use Railing in a sentence
lɪŋDictionary.com Unabridged
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.
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 stile2.
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.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English raile < Old French raille bar, beam < Latin rēgula bar, straight piece of wood, regula
1250–1300; Middle English raile < Old French raille bar, beam < Latin rēgula bar, straight piece of wood, regula
Related forms
rail·less, adjective
rail·like, adjective
00:10
Railing
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used without object)
1.
to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against ): to rail at fate.
verb (used with object)
2.
to bring, force, etc., by railing.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English railen < Middle French railler to deride < Provençal ralhar to chatter < Vulgar Latin *ragulāre, derivative of Late Latin ragere to bray
1425–75; late Middle English railen < Middle French railler to deride < Provençal ralhar to chatter < Vulgar Latin *ragulāre, derivative of Late Latin ragere to bray
Related forms
rail·er, noun
rail·ing·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.
1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To railing
Collins
World English Dictionary
rail1 (reɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a horizontal bar of wood, metal, etc, supported by vertical posts, functioning as a fence, barrier, handrail, etc |
| 2. | a horizontal bar fixed to a wall on which to hang things: a picture rail |
| 3. | Compare stile a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling |
| 4. | short for railing |
| 5. | one of a pair of parallel bars laid on a prepared track, roadway, etc, that serve as a guide and running surface for the wheels of a railway train, tramcar, etc |
| 6. | a. short for railway |
| b. (as modifier): rail transport | |
| 7. | nautical a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark |
| 8. | off the rails |
| a. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder | |
| b. eccentric or mad | |
| —vb (usually foll by in | |
| 9. | to provide with a rail or railings |
| 10. | to fence (an area) with rails |
| [C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood] | |
| 'railless1 | |
| —adj | |
| rail2 (reɪl) | |
| —vb | |
| (intr | |
| [C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh] | |
| 'railer2 | |
| —n | |
| rail3 (reɪl) | |
| —n | |
| any of various small wading birds of the genus Rallus and related genera: family Rallidae, order Gruiformes (cranes, etc). They have short wings, long legs, and dark plumage | |
| [C15: from Old French raale, perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape] | |
| railing (ˈreɪlɪŋ) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (often plural) a fence, balustrade, or barrier that consists of rails supported by posts |
| 2. | rails collectively or material for making rails |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rail
"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
"small bird," mid-15c., from O.Fr. raale (13c.), related to râler "to rattle," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative.
rail
"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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
line definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
The barrier on top of a wall could be a fence, beam guard, or a railing.
He seemed at ease only when writing and railing against various forms of tyranny.
The author, in railing against abstract metrics, is advocating a failure.
And in the meeting he suddenly stood up and started railing against my thesis, apparently.
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