Wordswarms From Years Past
Adjacent Wordsratin
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Ration definitions
RA'TION, n. [L. ratio, proportion.]
A portion or fixed allowance of provisions, drink and forage, assigned to each soldier in an army for his daily subsistence and for the subsistence of horses. Officers have several rations according to their rank or number of attendants. Seamen in the navy also have rations of certain articles.
n
1: the food allowance for one day (especially for service personnel); "the rations should be nutritionally balanced"
2: a fixed portion that is allotted (especially in times of scarcity) v
1: restrict the consumption of a relatively scarce commodity, as during war; "Bread was rationed during the siege of the city"
2: distribute in rations, as in the army; "Cigarettes are rationed" [syn: ration, ration out]
I. noun Etymology: French, from Latin ration-, ratio computation, reason Date: circa 1711 1. a. a food allowance for one day b. plural food, provisions 2. a share especially as determined by supply II. transitive verb (rationed; rationing) Date: 1859 1. to supply with or put on rations 2. a. to distribute as rations — often used with out b. to distribute equitably c. to use sparingly
n. & v. --n. 1 a fixed official allowance of food, clothing, etc., in a time of shortage. 2 (foll. by of) a single portion of provisions, fuel, clothing, etc. 3 (usu. in pl.) a fixed daily allowance of food, esp. in the armed forces (and formerly of forage for animals). 4 (in pl.) provisions. --v.tr. 1 limit (persons or provisions) to a fixed ration. 2 (usu. foll. by out) share out (food etc.) in fixed quantities. Phrases and idioms: given out with the rations Mil. sl. awarded without regard to merit. ration book (or card) a document entitling the holder to a ration. Etymology: F f. It. razione or Sp. ración f. L ratio -onis reckoning, RATIO
Ration Ra"tion, n. [F., fr. L. ratio a reckoning, calculation, relation, reference, LL. ratio ration. See Ratio.] 1. A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence. Note: Officers have several rations, the number varying according to their rank or the number of their attendants. 2. Hence, a certain portion or fixed amount dealt out; an allowance; an allotment.
Ration Ra"tion, v. t. To supply with rations, as a regiment.
(rations, rationing, rationed) 1. When there is not enough of something, your ration of it is the amount that you are allowed to have. The meat ration was down to one pound per person per week... N-COUNT 2. When something is rationed by a person or government, you are only allowed to have a limited amount of it, usually because there is not enough of it. Staples such as bread, rice and tea are already being rationed... ...the decision to ration food... Motorists will be rationed to thirty litres of petrol a month... VERB: be V-ed, V n, be V-ed to amount, also V n to amount 3. Rations are the food which is given to people who do not have enough food or to soldiers. Aid officials said that the first emergency food rations of wheat and oil were handed out here last month... N-PLURAL 4. Your ration of something is the amount of it that you normally have. ...after consuming his ration of junk food and two cigarettes. N-COUNT: usu N of n 5. see also rationing
n. Portion (of food or drink), allowance.
administer, allocate, allot, allotment, allowance, amount, apportion, apportionment, assign, assignment, batch, big end, bigger half, bit, bite, budget, bunch, chunk, clutch, comestibles, commission, commons, consignment, contingent, control, count, cut, deal, deal out, destiny, disburse, dispense, disperse, dispose, distribute, distribution, divide, dividend, division, divvy, dole, dole out, dose, eatables, edibles, end, equal share, fate, food, give out, gob, group, half, halver, hand out, heap, helping, hunk, interest, issue, large amount, limit, lot, measure, measure out, meed, mess, mete, mete out, modicum, moiety, number, pack, parcel, parcel out, part, pass around, pay out, percentage, piece, portion, portion out, proportion, prorate, provender, provision, provisions, quantity, quantum, quota, rake-off, rations, restrict, schedule, segment, share, shift, slice, small amount, small share, spoon out, stake, stock, sum, supplies, viands, victuals
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