An explanation or exposition of the principles of some opinion, action, hypothesis, phenomenon, or the like; also, the principles themselves.

The doctrine or system of those who deduce their religious opinions from reason or the understanding, as distinct from, or opposed to, revelation.

One who accepts rationalism as a theory or system; also, disparagingly, a false reasoner. See Citation under Reasonist.

Belonging to, or in accordance with, the principles of rationalism.

The quality or state of being rational; agreement with reason; possession of reason; due exercise of reason; reasonableness.

The act or process of rationalizing.

To use, and rely on, reason in forming a theory, belief, etc., especially in matters of religion: to accord with the principles of rationalism.

In a rational manner.

The quality or state of being rational; rationality.

An order of birds in which the wings are small, rudimentary, or absent, and the breastbone is destitute of a keel. The ostrich, emu, moa, and apteryx are examples.

Of or pertaining to the Ratitae.

Of or pertaining to the Ratitae. One of the Ratitae.

The small transverse ropes attached to the shrouds and forming the steps of a rope ladder.

A small rat.

Same as Rattoon, v. i.

Rat poison; white arsenic.

Poisoned by ratsbane.

One of the long slender flexible stems of several species of palms of the genus Calamus, mostly East Indian, though some are African and Australian. They are exceedingly tough, and are used for walking sticks, wickerwork, chairs and seats of chairs, cords and cordage, and many other purposes.

A thick woolen stuff quilled or twilled.

To deprive feloniously of the tools used in one's employment (as by breaking or stealing them), for the purpose of annoying; as, to ratten a mechanic who works during a strike.

One who, or that which, rats, as one who deserts his party.

A woolen stuff thinner than ratteen.

The conduct or practices of one who rats. See Rat, v. i., 1.

A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the rattle of a drum.

Giddy; rattle-headed.

Noisy; giddy; unsteady.

Rattle-headed.

A toy that makes a rattling sound; a rattle.

An empty, noisy talker.

A bat.

A rattlehead.

One who, or that which, rattles.

Any one of several species of venomous American snakes belonging to the genera Crotalus and Caudisona, or Sistrurus; sometimes also called rattler. They have a series of horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when shaken. The common rattlesnake of the Northern United States (Crotalus horridus), and the diamondback rattlesnake (also called diamondback rattler, and diamondback) of the South and East (Crotalus adamanteus) and West (Crotalus atrox), are the best known. See Illust. of Fang.

Any machine or vehicle that does not run smoothly.

Any plant of the genus Astragalus. See Milk vetch.

The golden-eye.

Same as Rattlebox.

Ratlines.

To sprout or spring up from the root, as sugar cane from the root of the previous year's planting.

Hoarse; raucous.

Harshness of sound; rough utterance; hoarseness; as, the raucity of a trumpet, or of the human voice.

Hoarse; harsh; rough; as, a raucous, thick tone.

imp. p. p. of Reck.

See Ranch.

Ransom.

To lay waste by force; to desolate by violence; to commit havoc or devastation upon; to spoil; to plunder; to consume.

One who, or that which, ravages or lays waste; spoiler.

An instance of raving.

A tool, hooked at the end, for enlarging or clearing seams for the reception of oakum.

To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.

One who ravels.

A detached work with two embankments which make a salient angle. It is raised before the curtain on the counterscarp of the place. Formerly called demilune and half-moon.

The act of untwisting or of disentangling.

To prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show rapacity.

A fine quality of sailcloth.

A genus of plants related to the banana.

One who, or that which, ravens or plunders.

Greedily devouring; rapacious; as, ravening wolves.

Devouring with rapacious eagerness; furiously voracious; hungry even to rage; as, a ravenous wolf or vulture.

One who raves.

A torrent of water.

See Raven, v. t. i.

Talking irrationally and wildly; as, a raving lunatic.

To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force.

One who ravishes (in any sense).

Rapturous; transporting.

In a ravishing manner.

In a half-raised position, as if about to spring on prey.

A raw, sore, or galled place; a sensitive spot; as, to touch one on the raw.

Rawboned.

Having little flesh on the bones; gaunt.

A specter mentioned to frighten children; as, rawhead and bloodybones.

A cowhide, or coarse riding whip, made of untanned (or raw) hide twisted.

Somewhat raw.

In a raw manner; unskillfully; without experience.

The quality or state of being raw.

Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Raiae, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc. In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See Skate.

A person not a Mohammedan, who pays the capitation tax.

Destitute of rays; hence, dark; not illuminated; blind; as, a rayless sky; rayless eyes.

A synthetic fiber, made of thin filaments of regenerated cellulose, extruded from a solution of viscose. Called also viscose fiber and viscose rayon fiber.

Darting forth rays, as the sun when it shines out.

To erase; to efface; to obliterate.

Slashed or striped in patterns.

To cut down to a less number of decks, and thus to an inferior rate or class, as a ship; hence, to prune or abridge by cutting off or retrenching parts; as, to razee a book, or an article.

A keen-edged knife of peculiar shape, used in shaving the hair from the face or the head; also called a straight razor.

Having a sharp, lean, or thin back; as, a razor-backed hog, perch, etc.

having an edge as sharp as that of a razor; very sharp.

as thin as a razor blade; very thin.

Ready for the razor; fit to be shaved.

The rorqual.

A species of auk (Alca torda) common in the Arctic seas. See Auk, and Illust. in Appendix. See Cutwater, 3.

The act of erasing or effacing, or the state of being effaced; obliteration. See Rasure.

A plundering and destructive incursion; a foray; a raid.

Recovery.

Reproof.

Resignation.

To bring together again; to compose or form anew.

To revise or renew one's assessment of; as, we need to reassess our position to include the new information. Usually used without the hyphen.

To collect again; to gather what has been scattered; as, to re-collect routed troops.

To create or form anew.

A forming anew; a new creation or formation.

Creating anew; as, re-creative power.

Same as reemphasize.

To ferment, or cause to ferment, again.

To give a new form to; to form anew; to take form again, or to take a new form; as, to re-form the line after a charge.

The act of forming anew; a second forming in order; as, the reformation of a column of troops into a hollow square.

to provide additional insurance for.

To let anew, as a house.

To mark again, or a second time; to mark anew.

To present again; as, to re-present the points of an argument.

The act of re-presenting, or the state of being presented again; a new presentation; as, re-presentation of facts previously stated.

To reiterate many times.

To resolve again.

To search again; to examine anew.

To affix one's signature to, a second time; to sign again.

To sound again or anew.

To store again; as, the goods taken out were re-stored.

To turn again.

To absorb again; to draw in, or imbibe, again what has been effused, extravasated, or thrown off; to swallow up again; as, to reabsorb chyle, lymph, etc.; -- used esp. of fluids.

The act or process of reabsorbing.