ray

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See also: Ray, rày, rầy, ra'y, and -raþ

English[edit]

Rays from the sun (1)
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Pronunciation[edit]

  • enPR: , IPA(key): /ɹeɪ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1[edit]

Via Middle English, borrowed from Old French rai, from Latin radius (staff, stake, spoke). Doublet of radius.

Noun[edit]

ray (plural rays)

  1. A beam of light or radiation.
    I saw a ray of light through the clouds.
  2. (zoology) A rib-like reinforcement of bone or cartilage in a fish's fin.
  3. (zoology) One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran.
  4. (botany) A radiating part of a flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, such as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius.
  5. (obsolete) Sight; perception; vision; from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen.
  6. (mathematics) A line extending indefinitely in one direction from a point.
  7. (colloquial) A tiny amount.
    Unfortunately he didn't have a ray of hope.
Hyponyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from ray
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

ray (third-person singular simple present rays, present participle raying, simple past and past participle rayed)

  1. (transitive) To emit something as if in rays.
    • 1889, Robert Browning, letter to Dr. Furnivall:
      I had no particular woman in my mind; certainly never intended to personify wisdom, philosophy, or any other abstraction; and the orb, raying colour out of whiteness, was altogether a fancy of my own.
  2. (intransitive) To radiate as if in rays.
  3. (transitive) To expose to radiation.
    • 1928, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, page 219:
      Rats' eyes with ulcus serpens were successfully treated; one second of raying stopped the progress of the ulcer, which healed uninterruptedly.
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English raye, rayȝe, from Old French raie, from Latin raia, of uncertain origin. Compare Middle English reyhhe, reihe, reȝge (ray, skate), from Old English reohhe (ray).

Noun[edit]

ray (plural rays)

  1. A marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Shortened from array.

Verb[edit]

ray (third-person singular simple present rays, present participle raying, simple past and past participle rayed)

  1. (obsolete) To arrange. [14th–18th c.]
  2. (now rare) To dress, array (someone). [from 14th c.]
  3. (obsolete) To stain or soil; to defile. [16th–19th c.]

Noun[edit]

ray (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) Array; order; arrangement; dress.

Etymology 4[edit]

From its sound, by analogy with the letters chay, jay, gay, kay, which it resembles graphically.

Noun[edit]

ray (plural rays)

  1. The letter ⟨/⟩, one of two which represent the r sound in Pitman shorthand.
Related terms[edit]
  • ar, in Latin and the name of the other Pitman r

Etymology 5[edit]

Alternative forms.

Noun[edit]

ray (plural rays)

  1. (music) Alternative form of re

Anagrams[edit]

Ainu[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

ray (Kana spelling ラィ)

  1. (intransitive) to die

Derived terms[edit]

Bikol Central[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ray

  1. Clipping of rahay.

Buhi'non Bikol[edit]

Noun[edit]

ray

  1. good

Derived terms[edit]

Northern Kurdish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Arabic رَأْي(raʔy).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ray ?

  1. opinion

Turkish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Ottoman Turkish رای‎, from French rail.

Noun[edit]

ray (definite accusative rayı, plural raylar)

  1. rail

References[edit]

  • Avery, Robert et al., editors (2013) The Redhouse Dictionary Turkish/Ottoman English, 21st edition, Istanbul: Sev Yayıncılık, →ISBN