rack

See also Rack, and Räck

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹæk/, SAMPA: /r\{k/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æk

Etymology 1

Middle English. This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Noun

rack (plural racks)

1. A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other
2. A frame on which to hang various items.
3. A device used to torture victims by stretching them beyond their natural limits.
4. A pair of antlers (as on deer, moose or elk).
5. A cut of meat involving several adjacent ribs

   I bought a rack of lamb at the butcher's yesterday.

6. (billiards, snooker, pool) A hollow triangle used for aligning the balls at the start of a game.

   See [1]

7. (slang) A woman's breasts.

   She's so perfect, man. Her personality, her looks- speaking of which, you should see her rack. Not only are her tits amazing, but her mom's are, too!

8. (climbing, caving) A friction device for abseiling, consisting of a frame with 5 or more metal bars, around which the rope is threaded. Also rappel rack, abseil rack.
9. (climbing, slang) A climber's set of equipment for setting up protection and belays, consisting of runners, slings, karabiners, nuts, Friends, etc.

   I used almost a full rack on the second pitch.

Derived terms

• bike rack
• cheese rack/cheese-rack
• spice rack
• roof rack
• toast rack

Translations

series of shelves

Dutch: rek (nl) Finnish: räkki (fi), teline (fi) French: étagère (fr) German: Regal (de) n.

Italian: rastrelliera (it) f. Latin: pluteus (la) m. Portuguese: estante (pt) f., armário (pt) m. Spanish: estante (es)

torture device

Armenian: գելոց (hy) (geloc’), գելարան (hy) (gelaran) Czech: skřipec (cs) m. Dutch: pijnbank (nl) Finnish: piinapenkki (fi)

Latin: equuleus (la) m. Portuguese: cavalete (pt) m. Russian: дыба (ru) (dýba) f. Swedish: sträckbänk (sv) c.

frame for hanging objects

Finnish: naulakko (fi)

Swedish: (for clothing) klädhängare (sv) c.

cut of meat

French: carré (fr) Polish: żeberka (pl) pl.

Swedish: revbensspjäll (sv)

woman's breasts

Finnish: rintavarustus (literally "chest equipment"), rinnat pl.

Swedish: hylla (sv) c. (literally "shelf")

Verb

rack (third-person singular simple present racks, present participle racking, simple past and past participle racked)

1. To place in or hang on a rack
2. To cause (someone) to suffer pain
3. (billiards, snooker, pool) To put the balls into the triangular rack and set them in place on the table.
4. (slang) To strike a male in the groin with the knee.
5. To (manually) load (a round of ammunition) from the magazine or belt into firing position in an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.

Translations

to place or hang on a rack

billiards, snooker, pool: to place the balls in a triangular rack on the table

slang: to strike a male in the groin with the knee

Etymology 2

Old English reċċan (“to stretch out, extend”)

Verb

rack (third-person singular simple present racks, present participle racking, simple past and past participle racked)

1. stretch joints of a person

Derived terms

• rack one's brain

Translations

stretch joints of a person

Etymology 3

Probably from Old Norse reka (“to be drifted, tost”)

Verb

rack (third-person singular simple present racks, present participle racking, simple past and past participle racked)

1. To fly, as vapour or broken clouds

Translations

To fly, as vapour or broken clouds

Etymology 4

Middle English rakken

Verb

rack (third-person singular simple present racks, present participle racking, simple past and past participle racked)

1. (brewing) To clarify, and thereby deter further fermentation of, beer, wine or cider by draining or siphoning it from the dregs.

Translations

brewing: to clarify by draining or siphoning from the dregs

Dutch: klaren (nl)

Anagrams

• cark