Adjacent Words

Ray definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RAY, n. [L. radius.]
1. a line of light, or the right line supposed to be described by a particle of light. a collection of parallel rays constitutes a beam; a collection of diverging or converging rays, a pencil.
The mixed solar beam contains, 1st. calorific rays, producing heat and expansion, but not vision and color; 2d. colorific rays, producing vision and color, but not heat nor expansion; 3d. chimical rays, producing certain effects on the composition of bodies, but neither heat, expansion, vision or color; 4th. a power producing magnetism, but whether a distinct or associated power, is not determined. It seems to be associated with the violet, more than with the other rays.
2. Figuratively, a beam of intellectual light.
3. Light; luster.
The air sharpen'd his visual ray.
4. In botany, the outer part or circumference of a compound radiate flower.
5. In ichthyology, a bony or cartilaginous ossicle in the fins of fishes, serving to support the membrane.
6. A plant, [lolium.]
7. Ray, for array. [Not in use.]
Pencil of rays, a number of rays of light issuing from a point and diverging.
RAY, n. A fish; a common name for the species of the genus Raia, including the skate, thornback, torpedo, stingray, etc.
RAY, v.t
1. To streak; to mark with long lines.
2. To foul; to beray. [Not in use.]
3. To array. [Not in use.]
4. To shoot forth.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a column of light (as from a beacon) [syn: beam, beam of light, light beam, ray, ray of light, shaft, shaft of light, irradiation]
2: a branch of an umbel or an umbelliform inflorescence
3: (mathematics) a straight line extending from a point
4: a group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation [syn: beam, ray, electron beam]
5: the syllable naming the second (supertonic) note of any major scale in solmization [syn: re, ray]
6: any of the stiff bony spines in the fin of a fish
7: cartilaginous fishes having horizontally flattened bodies and enlarged winglike pectoral fins with gills on the underside; most swim by moving the pectoral fins v
1: emit as rays; "That tower rays a laser beam for miles across the sky"
2: extend or spread outward from a center or focus or inward towards a center; "spokes radiate from the hub of the wheel"; "This plants radiate spines in all directions" [syn: radiate, ray]
3: expose to radiation; "irradiate food" [syn: irradiate, ray]

Merriam Webster's

I. biographical name John 1627-1705 English naturalist II. biographical name Satyajit 1921-1992 Indian film director, writer, & producer

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English raye, from Anglo-French raie, from Latin raia Date: 14th century any of an order (Rajiformes) of usually marine cartilaginous fishes (as stingrays and skates) having the body flattened dorsoventrally, the eyes on the upper surface, and enlarged pectoral fins fused with the head II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French rai, from Latin radius rod, ray Date: 14th century 1. a. any of the lines of light that appear to radiate from a bright object b. a beam of radiant energy (as light) of small cross section c. (1) a stream of material particles traveling in the same line (as in radioactive phenomena) (2) a single particle of such a stream 2. a. light cast by rays ; radiance b. a moral or intellectual light 3. a thin line suggesting a ray: as a. any of a group of lines diverging from a common center b. half line 4. a. one of the bony rods that extend and support the membrane in the fin of a fish b. one of the radiating divisions of the body of a radiate animal (as a starfish) 5. a. a branch or flower stalk of an umbel b. (1) medullary ray (2) vascular ray c. ray flower 1 6. particle, trace <a ray of hope> • rayed adjective III. verb Date: 1598 intransitive verb 1. a. to shine in or as if in rays b. to issue as rays 2. to extend like the radii of a circle ; radiate transitive verb 1. to emit in rays 2. to furnish or mark with rays

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a single line or narrow beam of light from a small or distant source. 2 a straight line in which radiation travels to a given point. 3 (in pl.) radiation of a specified type (gamma rays; X-rays). 4 a trace or beginning of an enlightening or cheering influence (a ray of hope). 5 a any of a set of radiating lines or parts of things. b any of a set of straight lines passing through one point. 6 the marginal portion of a composite flower, e.g. a daisy. 7 a a radial division of a starfish. b each of a set of bones etc. supporting a fish's fin. --v. 1 intr. (foll. by forth, out) (of light, thought, emotion, etc.) issue in or as if in rays. 2 intr. & tr. radiate. Phrases and idioms: ray gun (esp. in science fiction) a gun causing injury or damage by the emission of rays. Derivatives: rayed adj. rayless adj. raylet n. Etymology: ME f. OF rai f. L radius: see RADIUS 2. n. a large cartilaginous fish of the order Batoidea, with a broad flat body, winglike pectoral fins and a long slender tail, used as food. Etymology: ME f. OF raie f. L raia 3. n. (also re) Mus. 1 (in tonic sol-fa) the second note of a major scale. 2 the note D in the fixed-doh system. Etymology: ME re f. L resonare: see GAMUT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, v. t. [An aphetic form of array; cf. Beray.] 1. To array. [Obs.] --Sir T. More. 2. To mark, stain, or soil; to streak; to defile. [Obs.] ``The fifth that did it ray.'' --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, n. Array; order; arrangement; dress. [Obs.] And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, n. [OF. rai, F. rais, fr. L. radius a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf. Radius.] 1. One of a number of lines or parts diverging from a common point or center, like the radii of a circle; as, a star of six rays. 2. (Bot.) A radiating part of the flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius. See Radius. 3. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of the radiating spines, or cartilages, supporting the fins of fishes. (b) One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran. 4. (Physics) (a) A line of light or heat proceeding from a radiant or reflecting point; a single element of light or heat propagated continuously; as, a solar ray; a polarized ray. (b) One of the component elements of the total radiation from a body; any definite or limited portion of the spectrum; as, the red ray; the violet ray. See Illust. under Light. 5. Sight; perception; vision; -- from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen. All eyes direct their rays On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze. --Pope. 6. (Geom.) One of a system of diverging lines passing through a point, and regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions. See Half-ray. Bundle of rays. (Geom.) See Pencil of rays, below. Extraordinary ray (Opt.), that one or two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which does not follow the ordinary law of refraction. Ordinary ray (Opt.) that one of the two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which follows the usual or ordinary law of refraction. Pencil of rays (Geom.), a definite system of rays. Ray flower, or Ray floret (Bot.), one of the marginal flowers of the capitulum in such composite plants as the aster, goldenrod, daisy, and sunflower. They have an elongated, strap-shaped corolla, while the corollas of the disk flowers are tubular and five-lobed. Ray point (Geom.), the common point of a pencil of rays. R["o]ntgen ray(Phys.), a kind of ray generated in a very highly exhausted vacuum tube by the electrical discharge. It is capable of passing through many bodies opaque to light, and producing photographic and fluorescent effects by which means pictures showing the internal structure of opaque objects are made, called radiographs, or sciagraphs

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Raying.] [Cf. OF. raier, raiier, rayer, L. radiare to irradiate. See Ray, n., and cf. Radiate.] 1. To mark with long lines; to streak. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. [From Ray, n.] To send forth or shoot out; to cause to shine out; as, to ray smiles. [R.] --Thompson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, v. t. To shine, as with rays. --Mrs. Browning.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ray Ray, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Rai[ae], including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc. (b) In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See Skate. Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray (Stoasodon n[`a]rinari) of the Southern United States and the West Indies. Butterfly ray, a short-tailed American sting ray (Pteroplatea Maclura), having very broad pectoral fins. Devil ray. See Sea Devil. Eagle ray, any large ray of the family Myliobatid[ae], or [AE]tobatid[ae]. The common European species (Myliobatis aquila) is called also whip ray, and miller. Electric ray, or Cramp ray, a torpedo. Starry ray, a common European skate (Raia radiata). Sting ray, any one of numerous species of rays of the family Trygonid[ae] having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also stingaree.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(rays) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Rays of light are narrow beams of light. ...the first rays of light spread over the horizon... The sun's rays can penetrate water up to 10 feet. N-COUNT see also cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-ray 2. A ray of hope, comfort, or other positive quality is a small amount of it that you welcome because it makes a bad situation seem less bad. They could provide a ray of hope amid the general business and economic gloom... = glimmer N-COUNT: N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Beam, gleam. 2. Perception, vision, sight, apprehension, notice, intellectual light, beam.

Moby Thesaurus

Reptilia, X ray, actinic ray, actinism, amplitude, antinode, atom, atomic beam, atomic ray, beam, beam of light, crest, de Broglie wave, diffraction, diffuse, diffusion, disperse, dispersion, drop, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic wave, emanate, emanation, frequency, frequency band, frequency spectrum, gamma ray, gleam, guided wave, in phase, infrared ray, interference, invisible radiation, jot, leam, light, longitudinal wave, lota, mechanical wave, minim, molecule, moonbeam, node, out of phase, patch, pencil, period, periodic wave, photon, radiance, radiate, radiation, radio wave, radiorays, radius, ray of light, reinforcement, resonance, resonance frequency, ribbon, ribbon of light, scatter, scattering, scrap, seismic wave, shaft, shock wave, shoot, shred, smidgen, solar rays, sound wave, spoke, spread, streak, stream, stream of light, streamer, sunbeam, surface wave, tidal wave, transverse wave, trough, ultraviolet ray, violet ray, wave, wave equation, wave motion, wave number, wavelength