Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ravelling, n. [see ravel, v.]

Loose thread; unwoven fiber; unwinding filament; fraying strand; [fig.] refracted ray of light; scattered sunset cloud; diffused hue.

ravine, n. [Fr. ravine, violent rush, ravine.] (webplay: mountains).

Chasm; crevice; trench; gully; hollow; narrow, steep-sided valley; [fig.] hideout; place of concealment.

ravish (-ed), v. [Fr. ravir, seize, take away < L. rapīre < rapěre.]

1. Assail; attack; seize; carry away; take by force; abduct.
2. Overpower; overtake; immerse; engulf; overwhelm; awe; shock; surprise; startle; take unawares; [fig.] cover with blossoms.

ravished, verbal adj. [see ravish, v.] (webplay: children, flood, rapture).

1. Afflicted by sublimity; devastated by beauty; distressed by an excess of joy; [fig.] grieving; sorrowing.
2. Delightful; beautiful; gorgeous; awe-inspiring; dazzling; overwhelming; transporting.
3. Abducted; removed; translated; [fig.] otherworldly; transferred to another existence.

ravished, verbal adv. [see ravish, v.] (webplay: knowledge).

Blissfully; ecstatically; joyously; rapturously; reverently; in an awe-stricken manner.

raw, adj. [OE hréaw.] (webplay: eat, frighten, head).

1. Uncooked; unprepared; fresh; in a natural state.
2. Bleak; harsh; severe; bitter; chilly; cold; unpleasant.

ray (-s), n. [OFr rai < L. radius, staff, stake, measuring-rod, spoke, ray.] (webplay: light).

Beam; beacon; radiant shaft; narrow column of light; means of illumination.

reach, n. [see reach, v.] (webplay: desire, finger, touch).

Range; limit; capability to obtain; ability to grasp.

reach (-ed, -es, -ing), v. [OE ræcan.] (webplay: alterations, blame, breathe, come, distance, drawing, earth, fact, hand, heaven, human, infinity, labor, line, mind, port, price, river, seaman, take, touch).

1. Approach; come near (to); arrive (at); come (to); make it as far as.
2. Attain; accomplish; achieve; gain; obtain.
3. Touch; hold; grasp; clutch; seize; make physical contact with; extend the arm and hand far enough to take hold of.
4. Stretch; extend the arm and hand in attempt to obtain.
5. Extend; spread; range.

read (-s), v. [OE rædan < Germanic, probably related to OIr im-rádim, deliberate, consider.] (webplay: advancing, book, criticism, death, God, history, king, knowledge, learning, letter, music, names, peruse, prayers, printed, say, sentence, sounds, suited, tell, understand).

1. Study; examine; peruse; pore over; silently decode the features of a written text; [fig.] consider; ponder; think about.
2. Learn; find out; obtain knowledge about; discover information about by examining texts.
3. Interpret; construe; understand.
4. Recite; repeat; deliver; utter; pronounce; verbalize; [fig.] chant; sing.