Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RANT'Y, a.

Wild; noisy; boisterous.

RAN'U-LA, n. [L. rana, a frog; dim. a little frog.]

A swelling of a salivary gland under the tongue.

RA-NUN'CU-LUS, n. [L. from rana, a frog.]

In botany, crowfoot, a genus of plants of many species, some of diem beautiful flowering plants, particularly the Asiatic, or Turkey and Persian ranunculus, which is diversified with many rich colors. – Encyc.

RANZ-DES-VACHES, n. [Ranz des Vaches.]

The name of the wild and beautiful melody played by Swiss herdsmen on the Alpine horn.

RAP, n.

A quick smart blow; as, a rap on the knuckles.

RAP, v.i. [Sax. hrepan, hreppan, to touch; repan, to touch, to seize, L. rapio; Sw. rappa; Dan. rapper, to snatch away, and rapper sig, to hasten; rap, a stroke, Sw. rapp; Fr. frapper, to strike. The primary sense of the root is to rush, to drive forward, to fall on, hence, both to strike and to seize. That the sense is to drive or rush forward, is evident from L. rapidus, rapid, from rapio. See Class Rb, No. 26, 27, 28, 29.]

To strike with a quick sharp blow; to knock; as, to rap on the door.

RAP, v.t.¹

To strike with a quick blow; to knock. With one great peal they rap the door. – Prior. To rap out, to utter with sudden violence; as, to rap out an oath. Addison. [Sax. hreopan, to cry out, that is, to drive out the voice. This is probably of the same family as the preceding word. In the popular language of the United States, it is often pronounced rip, to rip out an oath; L. crepo, Fr. crever.]

RAP, v.t.²

1. To seize and bear away, as the mind or thoughts; to transport out of one's self; to affect with ecstasy or rapture; as, rapt into admiration. I'm rapt with joy to see my Marcia's tears. – Addison. Rapt into future times the bard begun. – Pope.
2. To snatch or hurry away. And rapt with whirling wheels. – Spenser. Rapt in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds. – Milton.
3. To seize by violence. – Drayton.
4. To exchange; to truck. [Low and not used.] To rap and rend, to seize and tear or strip; to fall on and plunder; to snatch by violence. They brought off all they could rap and rend. [See Rend.]

RA-PA'CIOUS, a. [L. rapax, from rapio, to seize. See Rap.]

1. Given to plunder; disposed or accustomed to seize by violence; seizing by force; as, a rapacious enemy. Well may thy lord, appeas'd, / Redeem thee quite from death's rapacious claim. – Milton.
2. Accustomed to seize for food; subsisting on prey or animals seized by violence; as, a rapacious tiger; a rapacious fowl.

RA-PA'CIOUS-LY, adv.

By rapine; by violent robbery or seizure.

RA-PA'CIOUS-NESS, n.

The quality of being rapacious; disposition to plunder or to exact by oppression.

RA-PAC'I-TY, n. [Fr. rapacité; L. rapacitas, from rapax, rapio.]

1. Addictedness to plunder; the exercise of plunder; the act or practice of seizing by force; as, the rapacity of a conquering army; the rapacity of pirates; the rapacity of a Turkish pashaw; the rapacity of extortioners.
2. Ravenousness; as, the rapacity of animals.
3. The act or practice of extorting or exacting by oppressive injustice.
4. Exorbitant greediness of gain.

RAPE, n.¹ [L. rapio, raptus; It. ratto; Fr. rapt; W. rhaib, a snatching; rheibiaw, to snatch. See Rap.]

1. In a general sense, a seizing by violence; also, a seizing and carrying away by force, as females. – Mitford.
2. In law, the carnal knowledge of a woman forcibly and against her will. Blackstone.
3. Privation; the act of seizing or taking away. – Chapman. And ruin'd orphans of thy rapes complain. – Sandys.
4. Something taken or seized and carried away. Where now are all my hopes, oh, never more / Shall they revive, nor death her rapes restore. – Sandy.
5. Fruit plucked from the cluster. – Ray.
6. A division of a county in Sussex, in England; or an intermediate division between a hundred and a shire, and containing three or four hundreds. – Blackstone.

RAPE, n.² [Ir. raib; L. rapa, rapum; Gr. ῥαπυς; D. raap; G. rübe; Sw. rofva.]

One of the names of the Brassica Rapa, or common turnep. This is the plant to which this name properly belongs; but, with the prefixed epithet wild, it is applied also to the Brassica Napus, Navew, or French turnep. An oil is obtained from the seed of the latter, which is called rape-seed-oil, and rape-oil. The broom-rape is of the genus Orobanche.

RAPE-ROOT, n. [See RAPE.]

RAPE-SEED, n.

The seed of the Brassica Napus, or the rape, from which oil is expressed.

RA'PHE, n. [Gr. ραφη, a seam or suture.]

In botany, a bundle of vessels connecting the chalaza with the hilum of a seed. – Lindley.

RAP'ID, a. [L. rapidus, from rapio, the primary sense of which is to rush.]

1. Very swift or quick; moving with celerity; as, a rapid stream; a rapid light; a rapid motion. Part shun the goal with rapid wheels. – Milton.
2. Advancing with haste or speed; speedy in progression; as, rapid growth; rapid improvement.
3. Of quick utterance of words; as, a rapid speaker.

RA-PID'I-TY, n. [L. rapiditas; Fr. rapidité, supra.]

1. Swiftness; celerity; velocity; as, the rapidity of a current; the rapidity of motion of any kind.
2. Baste in utterance; as, the rapidity of speech or pronunciation.
3. Quickness of progression or advance; as, rapidity of growth or improvement.

RAP'ID-LY, adv.

1. With great speed, celerity or velocity; swiftly; with quick progression; as, to run rapidly; to grow or improve rapidly.
2. With quick utterance; as, to speak rapidly.

RAP'ID-NESS, n.

Swiftness; speed; celerity; rapidity.

RAP'IDS, n. [plur.]

The part of a ricer where the current moves with more celerity than the common current. Rapids imply a considerable descent of the earth, but not sufficient to occasion a fall of the water, or what is called a cascade or cataract.

RA'PI-ER, n. [Fr. rapière; Ir. roipeir; from thrusting, driving, or quick motion.]

A small sword used only in thrusting. – Shak. Pope.

RA'PI-ER-FISH, n.

The sword-fish. – Grew.

RAP'IL, or RAP-IL'LO, n.

Pulverized volcanic substances.