Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Ray

Ray

(rā)
,
Verb.
T.
[An aphetic form of
array
; cf.
Beray
.]
1.
To array.
[Obs.]
Sir T. More.
2.
To mark, stain, or soil; to streak; to defile.
[Obs.]
“The filth that did it ray.”
Spenser.

Ray

,
Noun.
Array; order; arrangement; dress.
[Obs.]
And spoiling all her gears and goodly
ray
.
Spenser.

Ray

,
Noun.
[OF.
rai
, F.
rais
, fr. L.
radius
a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf.
Radius
.]
1.
One of a number of lines or parts diverging from a common point or center, like the radii of a circle;
as, a star of six
rays
.
2.
(Bot.)
A radiating part of a flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius. See
Radius
.
3.
(Zool.)
(a)
One of the radiating spines, or cartilages, supporting the fins of fishes.
(b)
One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran.
4.
(Physics)
(a)
A line of light or heat proceeding from a radiant or reflecting point; a single element of light or heat propagated continuously;
as, a solar
ray
; a polarized
ray
.
(b)
One of the component elements of the total radiation from a body; any definite or limited portion of the spectrum;
as, the red
ray
; the violet
ray
.
See
Illust
. under
Light
.
5.
Sight; perception; vision; – from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen.
All eyes direct their
rays

On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze.
Pope.
6.
(Geom.)
One of a system of diverging lines passing through a point, and regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions. See
Half-ray
.

Ray

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Rayed
(rād)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Raying
.]
[Cf. OF.
raier
,
raiier
,
rayer
, L.
radiare
to irradiate. See
Ray
,
Noun.
, and cf.
Radiate
.]
1.
To mark with long lines; to streak.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
2.
[From
Ray
,
Noun.
]
To send forth or shoot out; to cause to shine out;
as, to
ray
smiles
.
[R.]
Thomson.

Ray

,
Verb.
I.
To shine, as with rays.
Mrs. Browning.

Ray

,
Noun.
[F.
raie
, L.
raia
. Cf.
Roach
.]
(Zool.)
(a)
Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Raiae, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc.
(b)
In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See
Skate
.
Bishop ray
,
a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray (
Aetobatus narinari
syn.
Stoasodon narinari
) of the Southern United States and the West Indies; also called the
spotted eagle ray
and
white-spotted eagle ray
.
–
Butterfly ray
,
a short-tailed American sting ray (
Pteroplatea Maclura
), having very broad pectoral fins.
–
Devil ray
.
See
Sea Devil
.
–
Eagle ray
,
any large ray of the family
Myliobatidae
, or
Aetobatidae
. The common European species (
Myliobatis aquila
) is called also
whip ray
, and
miller
.
–
Electric ray
, or
Cramp ray
,
a torpedo.
–
Starry ray
,
a common European skate (
Raia radiata
).
–
Sting ray
,
any one of numerous species of rays of the family
Trygonidae
having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also
stingaree
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Ray

RAY

,
Noun.
[L. radius.]
1.
a line of light, or the right line supposed to be described by a particle of light. a collection of parallel rays constitutes a beam; a collection of diverging or converging rays, a pencil.
The mixed solar beam contains, 1st. calorific rays, producing heat and expansion, but not vision and color; 2d. colorific rays, producing vision and color, but not heat nor expansion; 3d. chimical rays, producing certain effects on the composition of bodies, but neither heat, expansion, vision or color; 4th. a power producing magnetism, but whether a distinct or associated power, is not determined. It seems to be associated with the violet, more than with the other rays.
2.
Figuratively, a beam of intellectual light.
3.
Light; luster.
The air sharpen'd his visual ray.
4.
In botany, the outer part or circumference of a compound radiate flower.
5.
In ichthyology, a bony or cartilaginous ossicle in the fins of fishes, serving to support the membrane.
6.
A plant, [lolium.]
7.
Ray, for array. [Not in use.]
Pencil of rays, a number of rays of light issuing from a point and diverging.

RAY

,
Noun.
A fish; a common name for the species of the genus Raia, including the skate, thornback, torpedo, stingray, &c.

RAY

, v.t
1.
To streak; to mark with long lines.
2.
To foul; to beray. [Not in use.]
3.
To array. [Not in use.]
4.
To shoot forth.

Definition 2024

Ray

Ray

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

English

Proper noun

Ray

  1. A surname​ from a Middle English nickname meaning a king or a roe.
  2. A diminutive of the male given name Raymond, also used as a formal given name.
    • 1980 Wright Morris, Plains Song, for Female Voices, Harper&Row, ISBN 0060130474, page 113:
      - , or Raymond if it happened to be a boy, choosing it in the hope that a name like Ray would make a boy's life easier.
    • 2005 Sam Weller, The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, William Morrow, ISBN 006054581X, page 12
      Although the name on his birth certificate was spelled "Ray", Ray said he was originally given the name "Rae" after Rae Williams, a cousin on his father's side.
  3. A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, more often spelled Rae.
    • 2010 Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White, Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 978-0-340-98062-0, page 271:
      'Rachel told me―' 'Call her Ray. She hates Rachel.'

Etymology 2

From Persian ری ‎(Rey), from Middle Persian, from Old Persian 𐎼𐎥𐎠 ‎(Ragā), a Median district. Compare Akkadian [script needed] ‎(ra-ga-'), Elamite [script needed] ‎(rák-ka4-an) (loc.), Ancient Greek Ῥάγαι ‎(Rhágai), Latin Rhagae, Rhaganae, Iranian borrowings.

Alternative forms

  • Rey
  • Rai
  • Rhay, Rhey (dated)
  • Shahr-e-Rey, Shahr-e-Ray, Shahr Rey, Shahr Ray, Chahr-e Ray (Iranian Persian)
  • Rhagae (Latin)
  • Rhages, Rages (Ancient Greek)
  • Raga (Old Persian)
  • Rayy (Arabic)

Proper noun

Ray

  1. A city near Tehran, Iran.
Synonyms
  • Arsacia

Translations

Anagrams

ray

ray

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

English

Rays from the sun (1)

Noun

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.
    • Alexander Pope
      All eyes direct their rays / On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze.
  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.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

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.
  2. (intransitive) To radiate as if in rays
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning to this entry?)
Translations

Etymology 2

Old French raie, from Latin raia.

Noun

ray ‎(plural rays)

  1. A marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail.
Translations

Etymology 3

Shortened from array.

Verb

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.]
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir T. More to this entry?)
  3. (obsolete) To stain or soil; to defile. [16th-19th c.]
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.4:
      From his soft eyes the teares he wypt away, / And form his face the filth that did it ray […] .

Etymology 4

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

Noun

ray ‎(plural rays)

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

Etymology 5

Noun

ray ‎(uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) Array; order; arrangement; dress.
    • Spenser
      And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray.

Etymology 6

Alternative forms.

Noun

ray ‎(plural rays)

  1. (music) Alternative form of re

Anagrams

Kurdish

Etymology

From Arabic.

Noun

ray ?

  1. opinion

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowing from French rail.

Noun

ray ‎(definite accusative rayı, plural raylar)

  1. rail

Etymology

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