Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Dictionary: RACK – RAD'DLE
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RACK, v.i. [Sax. recan. See the Noun.]
- Properly, to steam; to rise, as vapor. [See Reek, which is the word used.]
- To fly, as vapor or broken clouds. – Shak.
RACK, v.t.1 [from the noun.]
- 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.
- To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish; as, racked with deep despair. – Milton.
- To harass by exaction. The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants. – Spenser.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tortured; tormented; strained to the utmost.
- 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.]
- 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.
- 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.
- Torture; a stretching on the rack.
- Torment of the mind; anguish; as, the rackings of conscience.
- The act of stretching cloth on a frame for drying.
- The act of drawing from the sediment, as liquors.
RACK'ING, ppr.1
- Torturing; tormenting; straining; drawing off.
- 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.