Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RACK, v.i. [Sax. recan. See the Noun.]

1. Properly, to steam; to rise, as vapor. [See Reek, which is the word used.]
2. To fly, as vapor or broken clouds. – Shak.

RACK, v.t.¹ [from the noun.]

1. To torture; to stretch or strain on the rack or wheel; as, to rack a criminal or suspected person, to extort a confession of his guilt, or compel him to betray his accomplices. – Dryden.
2. To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish; as, racked with deep despair. – Milton.
3. To harass by exaction. The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants. – Spenser.
4. To stretch; to strain vehemently; to wrest; as, to rack and stretch Scripture; to rack invention. Hooker. Waterland. The wisest among the heathens racked their wits. – Tillotson.
5. To stretch; to extend. – Shak.

RACK, v.t.² [Ar. رَاقَ rauka, to clear, to strain. Class Rg, No. 8.]

To draw off from the lees; to draw off, as pure liquor from its sediment; as, to rack cider or wine; to rack off liquor. – Bacon.

RACK'ED, pp.

1. Tortured; tormented; strained to the utmost.
2. Drawn off, as liquor.

RACK'ER, n.

One that tortures or torments; one that racks.

RACK'ET, n.¹ [This word belongs to the root of crack, Fr. craquer. See Rocket.]

1. A confused, clattering noise, less loud than uproar; supplied to the confused sounds of animal voices, or such voices mixed with other sound. We say, the children make a racket; the racket of a flock of fowls.
2. Clamor; noisy talk. – Swift.

RACK'ET, n.²

A snow shoe.

RACK'ET, n.³ [Fr. raquette; Sp. raqueta; G. racket; D. raket.]

The instrument with which players at tennis strike the ball. – Shak. Digby.

RACK'ET, v.i.

To make a confused noise or clamor; to frolick. – Gray.

RACK'ET, v.t.

To strike as with a racket. – Hewyt.

RACK'ET-ED, pp.

Struck with a racket.

RACK'ET-ING, ppr.

Striking with a racket.

RACK'ET-Y, a.

Making a tumultuous noise.

RACK'ING, n.

1. Torture; a stretching on the rack.
2. Torment of the mind; anguish; as, the rackings of conscience.
3. The act of stretching cloth on a frame for drying.
4. The act of drawing from the sediment, as liquors.

RACK'ING, ppr.¹

1. Torturing; tormenting; straining; drawing off.
2. adj. Tormenting; excruciating; as, a racking pain.

RACK'ING, ppr.²

Flying as vapor or broken clouds. And drive the racking clouds along the liquid space. – Dryden.

RACK'ING-PACE, n.

The racking-pace of a horse is sa amble, but with a quicker and shorter tread. – Far. Dict.

RACK'RENT, n.

An annual rent of the full value of the tenement or near it. – Blackstone.

RACK'RENT-ED, a.

Subjected to the payment of rack-rent. – Franklin.

RACK'RENT-ER, n.

One that is subjected to pay rack-rent. – Locke.

RA'CY, a. [This word, if the sense of it is strong, vigorous, would seem to belong to the family of Sax. hræs, force; ræsan, to rush. But the application of it by Cowley in the passage below, seems to indicate its connection with the Sp. and Port. raiz, root, L. radix.]

Strong; flavorous; tasting of the soil; as, racy cider; racy wine. Johnson. Rich racy verses, in which we / The soil from which they come, taste, smelt end see. – Cowley.

RAD, or RED, n. [or ROD.]

An initial or terminating syllable in names, is the D. raad, G. rath, counsel; as, in Conrad, powerful in counsel; Ethelred, noble counsel.

RAD, v. [the old pret. of Read.]

– Spenser.

RAD'DLE, n. [supra.]

A long stick used in hedging; also, a hedge formed by interweaving the shoots and branches of trees or shrubs. – Todd. In New England, an instrument consisting of a wooden bar, with a row of upright pegs set in it, which is employed by domestic weavers, to keep the warp of a proper width, and prevent it from becoming entangled, when it is wound upon the beam of the loom.

RAD'DLE, v.t. [probably front Sax. wræd, wrad or wræth, a band or wreath, or from the same root.]

To interweave; to twist; to wind together. – Defoe.