rapidity [r@ "pId @ ti] n. quickness; speed. (No plural.) rapids n. the part of a river where the water moves very fast and is very active. (Treated as plural.) rapture ["rAp tS#] n. a feeling or expression of complete joy or delight. (No plural.) rare ["rEr] 1. adj. not common; not often found, seen, or done. (Adv: rarely. Comp: rarer; sup: rarest.) 2. adj. [of meat] cooked only a lit- tle. (Comp: rarer; sup: rarest.) rarin’ to go extremely eager to act or do something. (Informal.) rash ["rAS] 1. n. a disease or condi- tion of the skin, making it red, itchy, and bumpy. 2. adj. not thinking about something care- fully or long enough; done without careful thought. (Adv: rashly. Comp: rasher; sup: rashest.) raspberry ["rAz bEr i] 1. n. a small, sweet, usually red or purple fruit that grows on a bush, and the bush itself. 2. adj. made or flavored with Q. rat ["rAt] 1. n. a small rodent with a long tail. 2. n. someone who is mean, worthless, not honest, or not loyal. (Figurative on Q.) rat race a fierce struggle for suc- cess, especially in one’s career or business. rate ["ret] 1. n. the relation of an amount to another amount, such as speed in relation to time. 2. n. a price [for each unit of something]. 3. tv. to assign a value or rank to someone or something. 4. tv. to deserve something; to be worthy of something. rather ["rAD #] 1. adv. instead; on the contrary. 2. adv. to an extent; to a degree; too; very; quite. → would rather do something ratify ["rAt @ faI] tv. to approve something officially; to make something be valid officially. rational ["rAS @ n@l] 1. adj. using the mind or the brain; sensible; reasonable; logical. (Adv: ration- ally.) 2. adj. able to use sense or reason; aware. (Adv: rationally.) rationale [rAS @ "nAl] n. a reason; the reason for doing something; reasoning or explanation. (No plu- ral.) rattle ["rAt @l] 1. n. a noise-making device, usually a toy for babies, consisting of a small container with bits of hard matter inside. 2. n. the noise made when a num- ber of small things tap against something, as with Q. 3. iv. to make a quick set of short noises. 4. tv. to cause something to make a quick set of short noises. rattle around in something 1. to make a rattling noise inside some- thing. 2. to ride about in a vehicle that rattles. 3. to live in a place that is much too big. (Figurative.) rattle something off to recite some- thing with ease; to recite a list quickly and easily. rattlesnake ["rAt @l snek] n. a ven- omous snake with hard rings of skin on its tail that make a rattling sound when it shakes its tail. rave about someone or something ["rev ] to praise or curse some- one or something in a very excited rapidity 476 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 476 TLFeBOOK or wild way; to praise someone or something. ravished with delight made very happy or delighted; filled with happiness or delight. raw ["rO] 1. adj. not cooked. (Comp: rawer; sup: rawest.) 2. adj. [of something that has been] rubbed until sore; having a layer of skin rubbed off. (Adv: rawly. Comp: rawer; sup: rawest.) ray ["re] n. a beam of something that comes from a source, espe- cially a beam of light, heat, or radiation. raze ["rez] tv. to tear down a build- ing completely. razor ["re z#] 1. n. a tool that holds a sharp blade that is used to shave whiskers or hair. 2. the adj. use of Q. reach ["ritS] 1. tv. to arrive at some- place; to get to someplace. 2. tv. to get hold of someone by some means of communication; to con- tact someone. 3. tv. to stretch out to a certain place in space or time; to extend to a certain place in space or time. 4. tv. to affect or influence someone; to make some- one else understand something. 5. tv. to total a certain amount. 6. iv. to extend all the way. 7. n. the distance that someone or some- thing is able to stretch or extend; the range or capacity of someone or something. reach a compromise to achieve a compromise; to make a compro- mise. reach an agreement to achieve an agreement; to make an agreement. reach an impasse to progress to the point that a barrier stops fur- ther progress. reach back (in)to something to extend back into a particular period in time. reach down to extend downward. reach first base (with someone or something ) Go to get to first base (with someone or something ). reach for someone or something to move or stretch to touch or get something. reach in(to something ) to stick one’s hand into something to grasp something. reach out 1. to extend one’s grasp outward. 2. to enlarge one’s circle of friends and experiences. reach out (after someone or something ) to extend one’s grasp to someone or something. reach out into something to extend one’s grasp out into some- thing, such as the darkness. reach out to someone 1. to offer someone a helping hand. 2. to seek someone’s help and support. react [ri "Akt] 1. iv. to show a response [to something]; to make a response [to someone or some- thing]. 2. iv. [for a chemical] to do something when it touches another substance; [for two chem- icals] to do something when they are brought together. reaction [ri "Ak S@n] 1. n. a response to someone or some- thing; an action that is done in response to someone or some- thing; a feeling that is felt in reaction 477 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 477 TLFeBOOK response to someone or some- thing. 2. n. the result of a chemical touching another substance; the result when two chemicals are brought together. → gut reaction read 1. ["rid] tv., irreg. to under- stand what is meant by written words; to get meaning from writ- ten words. (Past tense and past participle: read [ "rEd].) 2. ["rid] tv., irreg. to say written words out loud. 3. ["rid] iv., irreg. to be able to understand writing and print- ing. 4. ["rid] iv., irreg. to say writ- ten words aloud. read between the lines to infer something (from something else); to try to understand what is meant by something that is not written clearly or openly. read someone like a book to understand someone very well. read someone out (for something ) to chastise someone verbally for doing something wrong. read someone out of something to make a case for the removal of someone from something. read someone the riot act to give someone a severe scolding. read something back (to someone ) to read back some information to the person who has just given it. read something in((to) something ) to make inferences as one reads something; to imagine that addi- tional messages, ideas, or biases are present in something that one is reading. read something off to read aloud a list. read something over to read some- thing, concentrating on form as well as content. read through something to look through some reading material. read up (on someone or something ) to study about some- one or something by reading. readily ["rEd @ li] 1. adv. without difficulty or problems; easily. 2. adv. without delay or doubt; eagerly. readiness ["rEd i n@s] n. the state of being ready; the state of being pre- pared. (No plural.) reading ["rid IN] 1. n. something written that is meant to be read. 2. n. a measurement shown on a meter or other similar device. 3. the adj. use of Q or W. readjust [ri @ "dZ^st] tv. to adjust something again; to put something back where it belongs. readjust to someone or something to get used to someone or some- thing again. readjustment [ri @ "dZ^st m@nt] 1. n. the process of getting used to something again. (No plural.) 2. n. an act of readjusting something; a movement or change that is made when putting something back where it belongs. ready ["rEd i] 1. adj. [of something] able to be used right now. (Comp: readier; sup: readiest.) 2. tv. to pre- pare something for use. ready to do something [of someone or some creature] prepared and eager to do something. read 478 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 478 TLFeBOOK real ["ril] 1. adj. existing; actual; true. (Adv: really.) 2. adj. genuine; not fake. (Adv: really.) 3. adv. really; very; extremely. (Collo- quial.) real estate ["ril @ stet] 1. n. land, with all the buildings on it. (No plural.) 2. n. the business of deal- ing in Q. (No plural.) 3. the adj. use of Q or W. (Hyphenated before a nominal.) realism ["ri @ lIz @m] n. the point of view concerned with reality in life and art. (No plural.) realistic [ri @ "lIs tIk] 1. adj. appearing or seeming to be real or authentic. (Adv: realistically [ Ik li ].) 2. adj. accepting life as it really is; practical. (Adv: realisti- cally [ Ik li].) reality [ri "Al @ ti] n. everything that is real; something that is real; that which exists. (Plural only for types and instances.) → in reality realization [ri @l @ "ze S@n] n. an understanding that something exists or has happened. realize ["ri @ laIz] 1. tv. to under- stand something; to be aware of something. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 2. tv. to make something real; to cause some- thing to exist. really ["ri (@) li] 1. adv. actually; truly; in reality. 2. adv. very; com- pletely. reappear [ri @ "pIr] 1. iv. to appear again. 2. iv. to occur again. rear ["rIr] 1. n. the part of the body one sits on. (Euphemistic.) 2. adj. in back; hind. 3. tv. to raise off- spring. 4. iv. to rise up, especially for a horse to stand on its back legs. → at the rear of something → bring up the rear → in the rear rear back 1. [for a horse] to pull back onto its hind legs in an effort to move backwards rapidly. 2. [for a person] to pull back and stand up or sit up straighter. rear its ugly head [for something unpleasant] to appear or become obvious after lying hidden. rear up 1. [for a horse] to lean back on its hind legs and raise its front part up, assuming a threatening posture or avoiding something on the ground such as a snake. 2. [for something, especially a problem] to rise up suddenly. (Figurative.) rearrange [ri @ "rendZ] tv. to arrange something again or in a different way, especially to place people or things in a different order or in different positions with respect to each other. rearrangement [ri @ "rendZ m@nt] n. creating a new or different arrangement; changing the way that people or things are ordered or positioned with respect to each other. (No plural.) reason ["ri z@n] 1. n. the power or ability to think, understand, and form opinions and conclusions from facts. (No plural.) 2. n. a cause; a motive; an explanation; a rationale. 3. iv. to think; to be able to think; to use the power or abil- ity to think, understand, and form opinions and conclusions. 4. tv. to have an opinion or conclusion reason 479 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 479 TLFeBOOK based on Q. (The object is a clause with that U.) reason something out to figure something out; to plan a reason- able course of action. reason with someone to persuade someone by using reason; to argue with someone by using reason. reasonable ["ri z@ n@ b@l] 1. adj. sensible; making sense; according to reason. (Adv: reasonably.) 2. adj. not expensive; having an acceptable cost. (Adv: reasonably.) reasoning ["ri z@ nIN] n. the pro- cess or ability of thinking and forming conclusions from facts and evidence. (No plural.) reassure [ri @ "SUr] tv. to restore someone’s courage or confidence. rebel 1. ["rEb @l] n. someone who fights or resists power, authority, or government. 2. [rI "bEl] to fight or resist power, authority, or gov- ernment. rebel against someone or some- thing [rI "bEl ] to fight against a person, power, laws, rules, author- ity, or government. rebellion [rI "bEl j@n] n. rebelling; challenging authority. (Plural only for types and instances.) rebirth [ri "b#T] n. seeming to be born again. (No plural.) rebound 1. ["ri baUnd] n. the return movement of something that bounced off something. 2. [rI "baUnd ] iv. to bounce back after hitting something. 3. [rI "baUnd] iv. to recover. (Figurative on W.) rebuild [rI "bIld] tv., irreg. to build something again. (Past tense and past participle: rebuilt.) rebuilt [rI "bIlt] past tense and past participle of rebuild. receipt [rI "sit] 1. n. a state of hav- ing been received. (No plural.) 2. n. a document that proves that something has been received or paid for. → in receipt of something receipts n. money that a business receives from customers; money that is collected by a business or at a performance. (Treated as plural, but not countable.) receive [rI "siv] 1. tv. to get some- thing; to take something that is given. 2. tv. to accept someone as a member of a group or organiza- tion; to welcome someone as a vis- itor. receiver [rI "siv #] 1. n. someone or something that receives some- thing. 2. n. the part of a telephone that one holds while one is talking. 3. n. a radio or television set; something that receives broadcast signals. recent ["ri s@nt] adj. happening only a short time ago; having existed for only a short time; not long ago. (Adv: recently.) → in recent memory receptacle [rI "sEp t@ k@l] 1. n. a container designed to receive something. 2. n. a place to plug in an electric cord. (Short for electric receptacle. ) → electric receptacle reception [rI "sEp S@n] 1. n. receiv- ing or welcoming someone. 2. n. the quality of broadcast signals reason something out 480 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 480 TLFeBOOK that are received by a television set, a radio, or other receiver. (No plural.) 3. n. a party, gathering, or celebration where people are wel- comed. recess 1. ["ri sEs] n. a period of time during the school day when the children are allowed to play, usually outside. 2. ["ri sEs] n. a period of time during the workday when someone stops working for a few minutes and takes a break; a break W. 3. ["ri sEs] n. a space cut or built into a wall; a space that is set back from a wall. 4. [rI "sEs] iv. to take a break; to stop working for a short time. recipe ["rEs @ pi] 1. n. a set of direc- tions for making something to eat. 2. n. a set of directions for prepar- ing or causing anything. (Figura- tive on Q.) recipient [rI "sIp i @nt] n. someone who or something that receives something. recital [rI "saIt @l] 1. n. the telling of a story; a verbal account of something. 2. n. a concert or per- formance, often by a single per- former playing an instrument, singing, or reading poetry. recite [rI "saIt] tv. to verbally deliver an answer in school; to repeat something, such as a poem, from memory. recite something chapter and verse to give detailed informa- tion; to quote something in great detail, especially some source of authority. reckless ["rEk l@s] adj. careless; not concerned about safety or danger. (Adv: recklessly.) recklessness ["rEk l@s n@s] n. being reckless; taking risks on pur- pose. (No plural.) reclaim [rI "klem] 1. tv. to save or reuse something that would other- wise be thrown away. 2. tv. to demand or claim the return of something that has been given away or taken away. recognition [rEk Ig "nIS @n] 1. n. realization. (No plural.) 2. n. acknowledgment of the existence of someone or something. (No plural.) 3. n. acknowledgment of service or excellence. (No plural.) recognizable ["rEk Ig naIz @ b@l] adj. in adequate amount or degree to be noticed or identified. (Adv: recognizably.) recognize ["rEk Ig naIz] 1. tv. to identify someone or something. 2. tv. to make an acknowledgment that something exists. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 3. tv. to give someone the right to speak, especially at a meeting. recommend [rEk @ "mEnd] 1. tv. to suggest [making] a particular choice from a range of choices. 2. tv. to suggest a particular course of action. (The object can be a clause with that U.) recommendation [rEk @ mEn "de S@n ] n. a suggestion of which selection someone should choose from a range of choices; someone or something that is recom- mended. recommendation 481 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 481 TLFeBOOK reconcile oneself to something to grow to feel comfortable with an undesirable or challenging situa- tion. reconsider [ri k@n "sId #] 1. tv. to consider something again; to think about something again. 2. iv. to consider again; to think about again. record 1. ["rEk #d] n. a written account of facts or information about someone or something. 2. ["rEk #d] n. a flat plastic disk that has sound stored on it and is played on a machine that makes the recorded sounds able to be heard. 3. ["rEk #d] n. the most extreme example of something; the highest, lowest, fastest, slow- est, longest, shortest, or any other extreme example of something. 4. [rI "kord] tv. to write down information about someone or something so that other people will be able to read the informa- tion. 5. [rI "kord] tv. to store sound on audiotape or to store images on film or videotape; to put a sound or an image into a permanent form. record something on something to make a record of something on the surface of something. recorded [rI "kor dId] 1. adj. writ- ten down; having information about someone or something writ- ten down; known. 2. adj. stored on cassette, film, or videotape; stored in a permanent form. recorder [rI "kor d#] 1. n. someone who writes down and stores infor- mation. 2. n. a musical instru- ment, consisting of a hollow tube of wood that has holes down one side. 3. n. a machine that records sounds or images and usually is able to play the sounds and images back. → break a record → cassette recorder → for the record → off the record recording [rI "kor dIN] n. a record; music, speech, or other sound that has been recorded. recount 1. ["ri kaUnt] n. another counting; a second count; another count, especially in an election when the votes are counted for a second time because the first count is thought to be faulty. 2. [ri "kaUnt ] tv. to tell a story; to tell the story of something that happened. 3. ["ri "kaUnt] tv. to count some- thing again. recount something to someone to tell something to someone; to nar- rate a series of events, in order. recover [ri "k^v #] 1. iv. to get bet- ter after a sickness or injury; to return to good health. 2. tv. to get something back that went away or was lost, stolen, or taken away. 3. tv. to reclaim something; to pull out something useful from some- thing that is not useful. recovery [ri "k^v @ ri] 1. n. the pro- cess of getting something back that went away or was lost, stolen, or taken; receiving someone or something that went away or was lost, stolen, or taken. (No plural.) 2. n. the return to someone’s or something’s regular condition, especially the return of good health after sickness or injury or reconcile oneself to something 482 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 482 TLFeBOOK the return of a good economy after a bad period of time. (No plural.) recreation [rEk ri "e S@n] n. amuse- ment; play; activities that are done for pleasure, enjoyment, or fun. (No plural.) recreational [rEk ri "e S@ n@l] adj. of or about recreation. (Adv: recreationally.) recruit [rI "krut] 1. tv. to cause or persuade someone to become a new member of a group, or organ- ization such as the military. 2. n. someone who has just joined a group or organization, especially the military. recruit someone into something to seek out and bring someone into something. rectangle ["rEk tAN g@l] n. a four- sided figure with four right angles, having opposite sides that are par- allel and the same length. rectangular [rEk "tAN gj@ l#] adj. shaped like a rectangle. (Adv: rec- tangularly.) rectify ["rEk t@ faI] tv. to make something right; to correct some- thing. rectum ["rEk t@m] n. the end of the lower intestine, through which waste passes. recuperate from something to recover from something; to be cured or to heal after something. recur [ri "k#] iv. to repeat; to hap- pen again; to continue to happen. recycle [ri "saIk @l] 1. tv. to change glass, plastic, paper, or other mate- rial into a form that can be used again; to recover a resource; to find a further use for something that might otherwise be wasted. 2. tv. to collect or set aside used glass, plastic, paper, or other mate- rial so that it can be made into something useful. 3. iv. to collect and set aside [trash] as in W. recycled [ri "saIk @ld] adj. made from a substance that has already been used. red ["rEd] 1. n. the color of blood and the traffic signal that means stop. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. the adj. use of Q. (Adv: redly. Comp: redder; sup: reddest.) 3. adj. [of hair] copper colored or rusty orange. (Comp: redder; sup: reddest.) → get the red-carpet treatment → give someone the red-carpet treatment → in the red → one’s ears are red → out of the red → paint the town red → roll out the red carpet for someone red tape overly strict attention to the wording and details of rules and regulations, especially by gov- ernment or public departments. (From the color of the tape used by government departments to tie up bundles of documents.) redbird ["rEd b#d] n. any of various birds having red feathers. redden ["rEd n] 1. iv. to become red; to turn red. 2. tv. to cause someone or something to become red; to cause someone or some- thing to turn red. reddish ["rEd IS] adj. having some of the qualities of the color red. (Adv: reddishly.) reddish 483 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 483 TLFeBOOK redeem [rI "dim] 1. tv. to convert something to cash, especially to convert a coupon, token, ticket, or other thing that is not money but represents money. 2. tv. to do something that restores other peo- ple’s good opinion of oneself. (Takes a reflexive object.) redeeming [rI "dim IN] adj. making up for other faults or problems. redevelop [ri dI "vEl @p] 1. tv. to develop something again. 2. tv. to build in an area again; to con- struct buildings in an area again. redhead ["rEd hEd] n. someone who has red hair. redid ["ri "dId] past tense of redo. redirect [ri dI "rEkt] tv. to direct or send someone or something to a different place; to send someone or something in a different direc- tion. redness ["rEd n@s] n. being red; the condition of having the color red. (No plural.) redo [ri "du] tv., irreg. to do some- thing again; to do something over. (Past tense: redid; past participle: redone.) redone [ri "d^n] Past participle of redo. redouble [ri "d^b @l] 1. tv. to dou- ble the amount of something; to increase the amount of something. 2. iv. to double; to increase. reduce [rI "dus] 1. tv. to make something smaller or less impor- tant; to decrease something. 2. iv. to lose [weight]. reduced to something brought into a certain poorer condition or state. reduction [rI "d^k S@n] 1. n. mak- ing something smaller; reducing something. 2. n. the amount by which something is made smaller. redundant [rI "d^n d@nt] adj. extra; not needed; doing the same thing as someone or something else. (Adv: redundantly.) redwood ["rEd wUd] 1. n. a tall evergreen tree, found in the west- ern United States, that lives to be very old. 2. n. the wood of Q. (Plural only for types and instances.) 3. the adj. use of Q or W. reed ["rid] 1. n. a tall grasslike plant with hollow stems that grows in marshes and other wet places. 2. n. a thin piece of wood in the mouthpiece of woodwind instru- ments like clarinets, saxophones, and oboes or a similar metal piece in harmonicas, accordions, and pipe organs. 3. the adj. use of Q or W. reef ["rif] n. a ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that extends from the bot- tom of a sea or ocean to or almost to the surface of the water. reek ["rik] iv. to smell very bad. reel ["ril] 1. n. a round frame around which string, thread, yarn, fishing line, film, audiotape, videotape, or other long materials are wound. 2. iv. to twist or turn, as when struck by a powerful blow. reel something in to pull something inward, toward oneself by using a reel Q. redeem 484 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 484 TLFeBOOK reel something off to recite a list or sequence of words, rapidly, from memory. reel under something 1. to stagger under the weight of something. 2. to stagger because of a blow. 3. to suffer because of a burden. (Figurative.) reelect ["ri @ "lEkt] tv. to elect someone again. reelection [ri @ "lEk S@n] n. the election of someone to the same position for another term. reestablish [ri @ "stAb lIS] tv. to establish something again. refer someone back to someone or something to suggest that someone go back to someone or something, such as a source. refer someone to someone or something [rI "f# ] to direct someone to use someone or some- thing for help or information; to direct someone to go to someone or something for help or informa- tion. refer something back (to someone or something ) to send something back to someone or a group for action. refer to someone or something [rI "f# ] 1. to use someone or some- thing for help or information; to go to someone or something for help or information. 2. to have to do with someone or something; to apply to someone or something; to be related to someone or some- thing. referee [rEf @ "ri] 1. n. someone who judges the playing of sports events; an umpire. 2. tv. to judge the playing of a sports event. 3. iv. to serve as Q. reference ["rEf (@) r@ns] 1. n. words that refer to something else; some- thing that has to do with some- thing else; something that relates to something else. 2. n. some- thing, such as a book, that is used for help or information; someone or something that provides infor- mation about something. 3. n. a statement that someone writes about someone else for that other person’s use when applying for something; a statement about someone or someone’s character. refill a prescription to obtain or sell a subsequent set of doses of a medicine upon a doctor’s orders. refine [rI "faIn] 1. tv. to make something purer. 2. tv. to make something more detailed, rational, or effective. refined [rI "faInd] 1. adj. made purer; pure; having impure sub- stances removed. 2. adj. elegant; very proper and civilized. (Adv: refinedly.) refinish [ri "fIn IS] tv. to remove an old paint or varnish finish and apply a new one. reflect [rI "flEkt] 1. tv. to show an image in the manner of a mirror. 2. tv. to throw back heat, light, sound, or energy; to bounce back heat, light, sound, or energy. 3. tv. [for something] to show or reveal a personal characteristic of some- one. reflect off something to be reflected away from something; reflect off something 485 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 485 TLFeBOOK . writ- ten words. (Past tense and past participle: read [ "rEd].) 2. ["rid] tv., irreg. to say written words out loud. 3. ["rid] iv., irreg. to be able to understand writing and print- ing build something again. (Past tense and past participle: rebuilt.) rebuilt [rI "bIlt] past tense and past participle of rebuild. receipt [rI "sit] 1. n. a state of hav- ing been received. (No. something off to recite a list or sequence of words, rapidly, from memory. reel under something 1. to stagger under the weight of something. 2. to stagger because of a blow. 3. to suffer because of