Adjacent Words

Rank definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RANK, the old pret. of ring. [Nearly obsolete.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: very fertile; producing profuse growth; "rank earth"
2: very offensive in smell or taste; "a rank cigar"
3: conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible; "a crying shame"; "an egregious lie"; "flagrant violation of human rights"; "a glaring error"; "gross ineptitude"; "gross injustice"; "rank treachery" [syn: crying, egregious, flagrant, glaring, gross, rank]
4: complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers; "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity" [syn: absolute, downright, out-and-out, rank, right-down, sheer]
5: growing profusely; "rank jungle vegetation" n
1: a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another; "the entrance was guarded by ranks of policemen"
2: relative status; "his salary was determined by his rank and seniority"
3: the ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army); "the strike was supported by the union rank and file"; "he rose from the ranks to become a colonel" [syn: rank and file, rank]
4: position in a social hierarchy; "the British are more aware of social status than Americans are" [syn: social station, social status, social rank, rank]
5: the body of members of an organization or group; "they polled their membership"; "they found dissension in their own ranks"; "he joined the ranks of the unemployed" [syn: membership, rank] v
1: take or have a position relative to others; "This painting ranks among the best in the Western World"
2: assign a rank or rating to; "how would you rank these students?"; "The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide" [syn: rate, rank, range, order, grade, place]
3: take precedence or surpass others in rank [syn: rank, outrank]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ranc overbearing, strong; akin to Old Norse rakkr erect and perhaps to Old English riht right — more at right Date: 13th century 1. luxuriantly or excessively vigorous in growth 2. offensively gross or coarse ; foul 3. obsolete grown too large 4. a. shockingly conspicuous <must lecture him on his rank disloyalty — David Walden> b. outright — used as an intensive <rank beginners> 5. archaic lustful, ruttish 6. offensive in odor or flavor; especially rancid 7. putrid, festering 8. high in amount or degree ; fraught Synonyms: see malodorous, flagrant • rankly adverb • rankness noun II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French renc, reng, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hring ring — more at ring Date: 14th century 1. a. row, series b. a row of people c. (1) a line of soldiers ranged side by side in close order (2) plural armed forces (3) plural the body of enlisted personnel d. any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard perpendicular to the files e. British stand 6 2. a. relative standing or position b. a degree or position of dignity, eminence, or excellence ; distinction <soon took rank as a leading attorney — J. D. Hicks> c. high social position <the privileges of rank> d. a grade of official standing in a hierarchy 3. an orderly arrangement ; formation 4. an aggregate of individuals classed together — usually used in plural 5. the order according to some statistical characteristic (as the score on a test) 6. any of a series of classes of coal based on increasing alteration of the parent vegetable matter, increasing carbon content, and increasing fuel value 7. the number of linearly independent rows or columns in a matrix III. verb Date: 1573 transitive verb 1. to arrange in lines or in a regular formation 2. to determine the relative position of ; rate <a highly ranked prospect> 3. to take precedence of intransitive verb 1. to form or move in ranks 2. to take or have a position in relation to others <ranks first in her class>

Britannica Concise

Austrian psychologist. Born in Vienna, he became a protι gι of S. Freud. In his early books, incl. The Artist (1907) and The Myth of the Birth of the Hero (1909), he extended psychoanalytic theory to explain the significance of myths. He edited the International Journal of Psychoanalysis 1912-24. The publication of The Trauma of Birth (1924), which was seen to undermine the principles of psychoanalysis by arguing that the basis of anxiety neurosis is psychological trauma occurring during birth, led to his expulsion from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Rank settled in New York in 1936, and his later work focused on the will as the guiding force in personality development.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a position in a hierarchy, a grade of advancement. b a distinct social class, a grade of dignity or achievement (people of all ranks; in the top rank of performers). c high social position (persons of rank). d a place in a scale. 2 a row or line. 3 a single line of soldiers drawn up abreast. 4 Brit. a place where taxis stand to await customers. 5 order, array. 6 Chess a row of squares across the board (cf. FILE(2)). --v. 1 intr. have rank or place (ranks next to the king). 2 tr. classify, give a certain grade to. 3 tr. arrange (esp. soldiers) in a rank or ranks. 4 US a tr. take precedence of (a person) in respect to rank. b intr. have the senior position among the members of a hierarchy etc. Phrases and idioms: break rank fail to remain in line. close ranks maintain solidarity. keep rank remain in line. other ranks soldiers other than commissioned officers. rank and fashion high society. rank and file ordinary undistinguished people (orig. = the ranks). the ranks the common soldiers, i.e. privates and corporals. rise from the ranks 1 (of a private or a non-commissioned officer) receive a commission. 2 (of a self-made man or woman) advance by one's own exertions. Etymology: OF ranc, renc, f. Gmc, rel. to RING(1) 2. adj. 1 too luxuriant, coarse; choked with or apt to produce weeds or excessive foliage. 2 a foul-smelling, offensive. b loathsome, indecent, corrupt. 3 flagrant, virulent, gross, complete, unmistakable, strongly marked (rank outsider). Derivatives: rankly adv. rankness n. Etymology: OE ranc f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ranked; p. pr. & vb. n. Ranking,] 1. To place abreast, or in a line. 2. To range in a particular class, order, or division; to class; also, to dispose methodically; to place in suitable classes or order; to classify. Ranking all things under general and special heads. --I. Watts. Poets were ranked in the class of philosophers. --Broome. Heresy is ranked with idolatry and witchcraft. --Dr. H. More. 3. To take rank of; to outrank. [U.S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, a. [Compar. Ranker; superl. Rankest.] [AS. ranc strong, proud; cf. D. rank slender, Dan. rank upright, erect, Prov. G. rank slender, Icel. rakkr slender, bold. The meaning seems to have been influenced by L. rancidus, E. rancid.] 1. Luxuriant in growth; of vigorous growth; exuberant; grown to immoderate height; as, rank grass; rank weeds. And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. --Gen. xli. 5. 2. Raised to a high degree; violent; extreme; gross; utter; as, rank heresy. ``Rank nonsense.'' --Hare. ``I do forgive thy rankest fault.'' --Shak. 3. Causing vigorous growth; producing luxuriantly; very rich and fertile; as, rank land. --Mortimer. 4. Strong-scented; rancid; musty; as, oil of a rank smell; rank-smelling rue. --Spenser. 5. Strong to the taste. ``Divers sea fowls taste rank of the fish on which they feed.'' --Boyle. 6. Inflamed with venereal appetite. [Obs.] --Shak. Rank modus (Law), an excessive and unreasonable modus. See Modus, 3. To set (the iron of a plane, etc.) rank, to set so as to take off a thick shaving. --Moxon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, a. [Compar. Ranker; superl. Rankest.] [AS. ranc strong, proud; cf. D. rank slender, Dan. rank upright, erect, Prov. G. rank slender, Icel. rakkr slender, bold. The meaning seems to have been influenced by L. rancidus, E. rancid.] 1. Luxuriant in growth; of vigorous growth; exuberant; grown to immoderate height; as, rank grass; rank weeds. And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. --Gen. xli. 5. 2. Raised to a high degree; violent; extreme; gross; utter; as, rank heresy. ``Rank nonsense.'' --Hare. ``I do forgive thy rankest fault.'' --Shak. 3. Causing vigorous growth; producing luxuriantly; very rich and fertile; as, rank land. --Mortimer. 4. Strong-scented; rancid; musty; as, oil of a rank smell; rank-smelling rue. --Spenser. 5. Strong to the taste. ``Divers sea fowls taste rank of the fish on which they feed.'' --Boyle. 6. Inflamed with venereal appetite. [Obs.] --Shak. Rank modus (Law), an excessive and unreasonable modus. See Modus, 3. To set (the iron of a plane, etc.) rank, to set so as to take off a thick shaving. --Moxon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, adv. Rankly; stoutly; violently. [Obs.] That rides so rank and bends his lance so fell. --Fairfax.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, n. [OE. renk, reng, OF. renc, F. rang, fr. OHG. hring a circle, a circular row, G. ring. See Ring, and cf. Range, n. & v.] 1. A row or line; a range; an order; a tier; as, a rank of osiers. Many a mountain nigh Rising in lofty ranks, and loftier still. --Byron. 2. (Mil.) A line of soldiers ranged side by side; -- opposed to file. See 1st File, 1 (a) . Fierce, fiery warriors fought upon the clouds, In ranks and squadrons and right form of war. --Shak. 3. Grade of official standing, as in the army, navy, or nobility; as, the rank of general; the rank of admiral. 4. An aggregate of individuals classed together; a permanent social class; an order; a division; as, ranks and orders of men; the highest and the lowest ranks of men, or of other intelligent beings. 5. Degree of dignity, eminence, or excellence; position in civil or social life; station; degree; grade; as, a writer of the first rank; a lawyer of high rank. These all are virtues of a meaner rank. --Addison. 6. Elevated grade or standing; high degree; high social position; distinction; eminence; as, a man of rank. Rank and file. (a) (Mil.) The whole body of common soldiers, including also corporals. In a more extended sense, it includes sergeants also, excepting the noncommissioned staff.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rank Rank, v. i. 1. To be ranged; to be set or disposed, an in a particular degree, class, order, or division. Let that one article rank with the rest. --Shak. 2. To have a certain grade or degree of elevation in the orders of civil or military life; to have a certain degree of esteem or consideration; as, he ranks with the first class of poets; he ranks high in public estimation.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ranks, ranking, ranked, ranker rankest) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Someone's rank is the position or grade that they have in an organization. He eventually rose to the rank of captain... The former head of counter-intelligence had been stripped of his rank and privileges. N-VAR: with supp 2. Someone's rank is the social class, especially the high social class, that they belong to. (FORMAL) He must be treated as a hostage of high rank, not as a common prisoner. N-VAR: usu with supp 3. If an official organization ranks someone or something 1st, 5th, or 50th, for example, they calculate that the person or thing has that position on a scale. You can also say that someone or something ranks 1st, 5th, or 50th, for example. The report ranks the UK 20th out of 22 advanced nations... ...the only British woman to be ranked in the top 50 of the women's world rankings... Mr Short does not even rank in the world's top ten. VERB: V n ord in/out of n, be V-ed in n, V in/among n 4. If you say that someone or something ranks high or low on a scale or if you rank them high or low, you are saying how good or important you think they are. His prices rank high among those of other contemporary photographers... Investors ranked South Korea high among Asian nations... St Petersburg's night life ranks as more exciting than the capital's... 18 per cent of women ranked sex as very important in their lives... The Ritz-Carlton in Aspen has to rank as one of the most extraordinary hotels I have ever been to... VERB: V adj among n, V n adj among n, V as adj, V n as adj, V as n 5. The ranks of a group or organization are the people who belong to it. There were some misgivings within the ranks of the media too... N-PLURAL: with supp 6. The ranks are the ordinary members of an organization, especially of the armed forces. Most store managers have worked their way up through the ranks. N-PLURAL: the N, oft prep N 7. A rank of people or things is a row of them. Ranks of police in riot gear stood nervously by... N-COUNT: usu N of n 8. A taxi rank is a place on a city street where taxis park when they are available for hire. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use stand) The man led the way to the taxi rank... N-COUNT 9. You can use rank to emphasize a bad or undesirable quality that exists in an extreme form. (FORMAL) He called it 'rank hypocrisy' that the government was now promoting equal rights. = sheer ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis] 10. You can describe something as rank when it has a strong and unpleasant smell. (OLD-FASHIONED, WRITTEN) The kitchen was rank with the smell of drying uniforms. ...the rank smell of unwashed clothes. ADJ 11. If you say that a member of a group or organization breaks ranks, you mean that they disobey the instructions of their group or organization. Britain appears unlikely to break ranks with other members of the European Union. PHRASE: V inflects 12. If you say that the members of a group close ranks, you mean that they are supporting each other only because their group is being criticized. Institutions tend to close ranks when a member has been accused of misconduct. PHRASE: V inflects 13. If you experience something, usually something bad, that other people have experienced, you can say that you have joined their ranks. Last month, 370,000 Americans joined the ranks of the unemployed... PHRASE: V inflects 14. If you say that someone in authority pulls rank, you mean that they unfairly force other people to do what they want because of their higher rank or position. The Captain pulled rank and made his sergeant row the entire way. PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval]

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rank:

(1) 'orach, used in Joe 2:7 of the advance of the locust army which marched in perfect order and in straight lines, none crossing the other's track.

(2) ma`arakhah, "battle array" (1Ch 12:38 the King James Version; compare 1Sa 4:16; 17:22,48).

See ARMY.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Luxuriant, vigorous, exuberant, over-abundant, high-growing, strong in growth. 2. Excessive, extravagant, rampant, very great, violent, gross, sheer, utter. 3. Rancid, musty, fusty, fetid, offensive, strong-smelling, strong-scented, frowzy. 4. Offensive, high-tasted. 5. Fertile, rich, productive. 6. Gross, coarse, foul, disgusting. II. n. 1. Row, line, tier, range, order. 2. Class, order, division, series. 3. Degree, grade, quality, relative station. 4. Dignity, high degree, distinction, eminence. III. v. a. 1. Class, arrange, range, classify. 2. [Modern] Outrank, take precedence of. IV. v. n. Be ranked, be classed, take rank, have rank.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Stinking, rammish, ill-flavoured; also strong, great. A rank knave; a rank coward: perhaps the latter may allude to an ill savour caused by fear.

Moby Thesaurus

English horn, IC analysis, Indian file, KP, abject, abominable, absolute, abundant, adjust, align, alphabetize, analyze, ancestry, antecede, appositive, appraise, appreciate, aristocracy, aristocraticalness, army, army group, arrange, arrant, array, articulation, ascendancy, assess, assort, atrocious, attribute, attributive, authority, awful, bad, bad-smelling, bank, barfy, base, bassoon, battalion, battery, battle group, be distinguished, be regarded, be thought of, bearings, beastly, beggarly, beneath contempt, birth, black, blamable, blameworthy, blatant, block flute, blood, blown, blue, blue blood, bolt, bombard, bourdon, bracket, brackish, branch, break down, brigade, broad, broken, brutal, bulk, bumpy, buzz, cachet, cadre, call, capacity, capital, case, caste, catalog, categorize, category, catena, catenation, cello, chain, chain reaction, chaining, character, cheesy, choppy, circumstance, circumstances, clan, claribel, clarinet, clarion, class, classical, classify, cloying, coarse, coarse-grained, codify, cohort, collate, column, combat command, combat team, come before, come first, company, complement, complete, concatenation, concert flute, condition, connection, consecution, consequence, conspicuous, construction modifier, consummate, contemptible, continuity, continuum, cool off, cornet, cornopean, corps, corrugated, corrupt, count, course, crappy, crass, criminal, cromorna, cross-grained, crummy, cutting, cycle, cymbel, damnable, dank, dark, debased, decided, deep structure, definitive, degraded, degree, dense, deplorable, deploy, depraved, descent, despicable, detachment, detail, detestable, diapason, digest, dignity, dire, direct object, dirty, disagreeable, disgraceful, disgusting, dispose, distinction, divide, division, downright, dreadful, drone, dulciana, earthy, echelon, egregious, eminence, employees, endless belt, endless round, enlarge, enormous, estate, estimate, evaluate, evil, execrable, exuberant, face, fecal, feculent, fertile, fetid, field army, field train, figure, file, filiation, filler, filthy, fix, flagitious, flagrant, flourishing, flute stop, flyblown, flying column, footing, form, form an estimate, form-function unit, formation, foul, foundation stop, fourniture, frank, front, frowsty, frowy, frowzy, fructuous, fulsome, function, funky, fusty, gamba, gamut, gamy, garrison, gauge, gedeckt, gemshorn, genteelness, gentility, give an appreciation, glaring, gloppy, go ahead of, go before, go in advance, gradate, gradation, grade, graduate, grainy, granulated, grave, graveolent, greatness, grievous, gross, group, grouping, grown, guess, gunky, gutter, harmonic flute, harmonize, hateful, have priority, head, head the table, head up, heading, heavy, heinous, hierarchize, hierarchy, high, high place, high-tasted, homespun, honorable descent, horrible, horrid, horripilant, hum, humid, hybrid stop, icky, ill-smelling, immediate constituent analysis, immodest, impenetrable, importance, improper, indecent, indecorous, index, indirect object, inequal, infamous, influence, influentialness, iniquitous, intolerable, irregular, jam, jolty, jungled, jungly, kick off, kin, kitchen police, knavish, koppel flute, kudos, label, lamentable, larigot, lavish, lay out, lead, lead off, legion, level, levels, line, line up, lineage, linsey-woolsey, list, little, loathsome, location, lot, lousy, low, low-down, lumpen, lurid, lush, luxuriant, maggoty, make an estimation, malodorous, mangy, maniple, mark, marshal, match, mawkish, mean, measly, measure, melodia, mephitic, methodize, miasmal, miasmic, mildewed, mildewy, miserable, mixture, modality, mode, modifier, moldy, moment, monotone, monstrous, mucky, musty, mutation stop, nasty, naughty, nauseant, nauseating, nauseous, nazard, nefarious, nexus, nidorous, nobility, noble birth, nobleness, noisome, normalize, noticeable, notorious, noxious, object, obnoxious, oboe, obscene, octave, odious, odorous, off, off color, offensive, olid, order, ordurous, organ stop, organization, organize, out-and-out, outfit, outrageous, outrank, outright, outstanding, overgrown, overripe, overrun, pacify, paltry, pass, peccant, peerage, pendulum, perfect, periodicity, petty, phalanx, phrase structure, piccolo, pickle, pigeonhole, pimply, pitiable, pitiful, pitted, place, platoon, play first fiddle, plein jeu, plenum, plight, pocky, poisonous, poky, poor, pornographic, posaune, position, positive, posse, posture, potholed, powder train, power, power structure, precede, precedence, precious, predicament, predicate, pressure, prestige, principal, priority, prize, productive, profound, profuse, progression, prolific, prominence, pronounced, proper, proportion, puky, pungent, putrid, qualifier, quality, queue, quiet, quint, quintaten, race, rampant, rancid, range, rank first, rank out, ranket, ranks, rate, rating, raunchy, raw, reasty, reasy, rebarbative, reckon, recurrence, reechy, reed stop, reeking, reeky, regiment, register, regrettable, regular, regularize, regulate, reprehensible, reprobate, reptilian, repulsive, reticulation, riddle, riotous, ripply, risque, rohr flute, rotation, rotten, rough, rough-cast, rough-grained, rough-hewn, round, routine, routinize, row, royalty, rubric, ruffled, run, rutted, rutty, sad, scabby, scale, scandalous, scatological, schlock, screen, scrubby, scruffy, scummy, scurfy, scurvy, section, seniority, separate, sept, sequence, serial order, series, sesquialtera, set, set up, shabby, shagged, shaggy, shallow structure, shameful, shameless, shattering, shawm, sheer, shitty, shocking, shoddy, sickening, sieve, sift, sinful, single file, situation, size, slabby, slimy, sloppy, sloshy, slot, slot and filler, sludgy, slushy, small, smellful, smelling, smelly, smutty, soldiers, sordid, sort, sort out, sour, spectrum, sphere, spitz flute, spoiled, sposhy, spot, squad, squadron, squalid, staff, stage, stale, stand, stand first, standardize, standing, star, stark, stark-staring, state, station, stature, status, stenchy, stinking, stop, stopped diapason, stopped flute, strain, strata, stratum, string, string diapason, string out, string stop, strong, strong-flavored, strong-tasting, structure, stuffy, subdivide, subdivision, subgroup, subject, suborder, subordinate, subordination, succession, sulfurous, superabundant, superiority, superlative, surface structure, surpassing, swath, syntactic analysis, syntactic structure, syntactics, syntax, systematize, tabulate, tactical unit, tagmeme, tainted, take precedence, task force, terrible, textured, the veriest, thick, thorough, thoroughgoing, thread, tier, tierce, title, too bad, total, train, tranquilize, tremolo, trombone, troop, trumpet, turned, twelfth, type, unalloyed, unbearable, unclean, unconscionable, uncouth, unda maris, undeniable, underlying structure, undiluted, unequivocal, uneven, unforgivable, unit, unkempt, unlevel, unmentionable, unmitigated, unpardonable, unpolished, unqualified, unrefined, unrelieved, unsmooth, unspeakable, unspoiled, ununiform, unweeded, unworthy, usher in, utter, valuate, value, vibrato, vicious, vile, villainous, viola, voix celeste, vomity, vox angelica, vox humana, vulgar, weed-choked, weed-ridden, weedy, weevily, weight, weightiness, wicked, wimpled, windrow, wing, woeful, word arrangement, word order, workers, wormy, worst, worthless, wretched, wrong, yecchy, yucky