Rate - Rattle

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Rate (rāt), v. t. & i. [Perh. fr. E. rate, v. t., to value at a certain rate, to estimate, but more prob. fr. Sw. rata to find fault, to blame, to despise, to hold cheap; cf. Icel. hrat refuse, hrati rubbish.] To chide with vehemence; to scold; to censure violently; to berate. Spenser.
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Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy! Shak.
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Conscience is a check to beginners in sin, reclaiming them from it, and rating them for it. Barrow.
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Rate (?), n. [OF., fr. L. rata (sc. pars), fr. ratus reckoned, fixed by calculation, p. p. of reri to reckon, to calculate. Cf. .] 1. Established portion or measure; fixed allowance.
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The one right feeble through the evil rate
Of food which in her duress she had found. Spenser.
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2. That which is established as a measure or criterion; degree; standard; rank; proportion; ratio; as, a slow rate of movement; rate of interest is the ratio of the interest to the principal, per annum.
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Heretofore the rate and standard of wit was different from what it is nowadays. South.
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In this did his holiness and godliness appear above the rate and pitch of other men's, in that he was so . . . merciful. Calamy.
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Many of the horse could not march at that rate, nor come up soon enough. Clarendon.
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3. Valuation; price fixed with relation to a standard; cost; charge; as, high or low rates of transportation.
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They come at dear rates from Japan. Locke.
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4. A tax or sum assessed by authority on property for public use, according to its income or value; esp., in England, a local tax; as, parish rates; town rates.
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5. Order; arrangement. [Obs.]
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Thus sat they all around in seemly rate. Spenser.
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6. Ratification; approval. [R.] Chapman.
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7. (Horol.) The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time; as, daily rate; hourly rate; etc.
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8. (Naut.) (a) The order or class to which a war vessel belongs, determined according to its size, armament, etc.; as, first rate, second rate, etc. (b) The class of a merchant vessel for marine insurance, determined by its relative safety as a risk, as A1, A2, etc.
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Rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rated; p. pr. & vb. n. Rating.] 1. To set a certain estimate on; to value at a certain price or degree.
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To rate a man by the nature of his companions is a rule frequent indeed, but not infallible. South.
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You seem not high enough your joys to rate. Dryden.
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2. To assess for the payment of a rate or tax.
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3. To settle the relative scale, rank, position, amount, value, or quality of; as, to rate a ship; to rate a seaman; to rate a pension.
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4. To ratify. [Obs.] “To rate the truce.” Chapman.
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Coloq. To rate a chronometer , to ascertain the exact rate of its gain or loss as compared with true time, so as to make an allowance or computation dependent thereon.
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Syn. -- To value; appraise; estimate; reckon.
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Rate, v. i. 1. To be set or considered in a class; to have rank; as, the ship rates as a ship of the line.
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2. To make an estimate.
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Rateable (-ȧb'l), a. See .
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Ratel (rātĕl), n. [F.] (Zoöl.) Any carnivore of the genus Mellivora, allied to the weasels and the skunks; -- called also honey badger.
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☞ Several species are known in Africa and India. The Cape ratel (Mellivora Capensis) and the Indian ratel (Mellivora Indica) are the best known. The back is gray; the lower parts, face, and tail are black. They are fond of honey, and rob the nests of wild bees.
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Ratepayer (-pāẽr), n. One who pays rates or taxes.
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Rater (rātẽr), n. One who rates or estimates.
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Rater, n. One who rates or scolds.
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Ratfish (rătfĭsh), n. (Zoöl.) Same as .
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Rath (răth), n. [Ir. rath.] 1. A hill or mound. [Ireland] Spenser.
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2. A kind of ancient fortification found in Ireland.
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{ Rath, Rathe } (răth), a. [AS. hræð, hræd, quick, akin to OHG. hrad, Icel. hraðr.] Coming before others, or before the usual time; early. [Obs. or Poetic]
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Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies. Milton.
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{ Rath, Rathe, } adv. Early; soon; betimes. [Obs. or Poetic]
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Why rise ye up so rathe? Chaucer.
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Too rathe cut off by practice criminal. Spenser.
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Rather (ră�ẽr), a. [Compar. of , a.] Prior; earlier; former. [Obs.]
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Now no man dwelleth at the rather town. Sir J. Mandeville.
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Rather (ră�ẽr; 277), adv. [AS. hraðor, compar. of hraðe, hræðe, quickly, immediately. See , a.]
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1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.]
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Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I. Chaucer.
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A good mean to come the rather to grace. Foxe.
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2. More readily or willingly; preferably.
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My soul chooseth . . . death rather than my life. Job vii. 15.
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3. On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead.
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Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. Mark v. 26.
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4. Of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat.
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He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain,
And nowhere finding, rather feared her slain. Dryden.
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5. More properly; more correctly speaking.
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This is an art
Which does mend nature, change it rather, but
The art itself is nature. Shak.
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6. In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.
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Coloq. The rather , the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause.
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You are come to me in happy time,
The rather for I have some sport in hand. Shak.
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-- Coloq. Had rather , or Coloq. Would rather , prefer to; prefers to; as, he had rather, or would rather go than stay. “I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” 1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under .
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Rathripe (răthrīp), a. Rareripe, or early ripe. -- n. A rareripe. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
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Such who delight in rathripe fruits. Fuller.
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Rathskeller (rätskĕllẽr), n. [G., also ratskeller, prop., town-hall cellar.] Orig., in Germany, the cellar or basement of the city hall, usually rented for use as a restaurant where beer is sold; hence, a beer saloon of the German type below the street level, where, usually, drinks are served only at tables and simple food may also be had; -- sometimes loosely used, in English, of what are essentially basement restaurants where liquors are served.
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Ratification (rătĭfĭkāshŭn), n. [Cf. F. ratification.] The act of ratifying; the state of being ratified; confirmation; sanction; as, the ratification of a treaty.
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Ratifier (rătĭfīẽr), n. One who, or that which, ratifies; a confirmer. Shak.
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Ratify (rătĭfī), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ratified (rătĭfīd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ratifying (rătĭfīĭng).] [F. ratifier, fr. L. ratus fixed by calculation, firm, valid + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See , n., and .] To approve and sanction; to make valid; to confirm; to establish; to settle; especially, to give sanction to, as something done by an agent or servant; as, to ratify an agreement, treaty, or contract; to ratify a nomination.
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It is impossible for the divine power to set a seal to a lie by ratifying an imposture with such a miracle. South.
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Ratihabition (-hȧbĭshŭn), n. [L. ratihabitio; ratus fixed, valid + habere to hold.] Confirmation or approbation, as of an act or contract. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
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Ratio (rāshĭ� or rāsh�), n. [L., fr. reri, ratus, to reckon, believe, think, judge. See .] 1. (Math.) The relation which one quantity or magnitude has to another of the same kind. It is expressed by the quotient of the division of the first by the second; thus, the ratio of 3 to 6 is expressed by 3/6 or 1/2; of a to b by a/b; or (less commonly) the second term is made the dividend; as, a:b = b/a.
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☞ Some writers consider ratio as the quotient itself, making ratio equivalent to a number.
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The term ratio is also sometimes applied to the difference of two quantities as well as to their quotient, in which case the former is called arithmetical ratio, the latter, geometrical ratio. The name ratio is sometimes given to the rule of three in arithmetic. See under .
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2. Hence, fixed relation of number, quantity, or degree; rate; proportion; as, the ratio of representation in Congress.
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Coloq. Compound ratio , Coloq. Duplicate ratio , Coloq. Inverse ratio , etc. See under , , etc. -- Coloq. Ratio of a geometrical progression , the constant quantity by which each term is multiplied to produce the succeeding one.
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Ratiocinate (răshĭŏsĭnāt), v. i. [L. ratiocinatus, p. p. of ratiocinari, fr. ratio reason. See .] To reason, esp. deductively; to offer reason or argument.
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Ratiocination (răshĭŏsĭnāshŭn), n. [L. ratiocinatio: cf. F. ratiocination.] The process of reasoning, or deducing conclusions from premises; deductive reasoning.
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Ratiocinative (răshĭŏsĭn�tĭv), a. [L. ratiocinativus.] Characterized by, or addicted to, ratiocination; consisting in the comparison of propositions or facts, and the deduction of inferences from the comparison; argumentative; as, a ratiocinative process.
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The ratiocinative meditativeness of his character. Coleridge.
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Ratiocinatory (răshĭŏsĭnȧt�r�), a. Ratiocinative. [R.]
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Ration (rāshŭn or răshŭn), n. [F., fr. L. ratio a reckoning, calculation, relation, reference, LL. ratio ration. See .] 1. A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence.
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☞ Officers have several rations, the number varying according to their rank or the number of their attendants.
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2. Hence, a certain portion or fixed amount dealt out; an allowance; an allotment.
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Ration, v. t. To supply with rations, as a regiment.
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Rational (răshŭn�l), a. [L. rationalis: cf. F. rationnel. See , , and cf. .] 1. Relating to the reason; not physical; mental.
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Moral philosophy was his chiefest end; for the rational, the natural, and mathematics . . . were but simple pastimes in comparison of the other. Sir T. North.
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2. Having reason, or the faculty of reasoning; endowed with reason or understanding; reasoning.
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It is our glory and happiness to have a rational nature. Law.
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3. Agreeable to reason; not absurd, preposterous, extravagant, foolish, fanciful, or the like; wise; judicious; as, rational conduct; a rational man.
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4. (Chem.) Expressing the type, structure, relations, and reactions of a compound; graphic; -- said of formulæ. See under .
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Coloq. Rational horizon . (Astron.) See , 2 (b). -- Coloq. Rational quantity (Alg.), one that can be expressed without the use of a radical sign, or in exact parts of unity; -- opposed to irrational or radical quantity. -- Coloq. Rational symptom (Med.), one elicited by the statements of the patient himself and not as the result of a physical examination.
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Syn. -- Sane; sound; intelligent; reasonable; sensible; wise; discreet; judicious. -- , . Rational has reference to reason as a faculty of the mind, and is opposed to irrational; as, a rational being, a rational state of mind, rational views, etc. In these cases the speculative reason is more particularly, referred to. Reasonable has reference to the exercise of this faculty for practical purposes, and means, governed or directed by reason; as, reasonable desires or plans; a reasonable charge; a reasonable prospect of success.
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What higher in her society thou find'st
Attractive, human, rational, love still. Milton.
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A law may be reasonable in itself, although a man does not allow it, or does not know the reason of the lawgivers. Swift.
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Rational, n. A rational being. Young.
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Rationale (răshŭnăl or răshŭnāl�), n. [L. rationalis, neut. rationale. See , a.] An explanation or exposition of the principles of some opinion, action, hypothesis, phenomenon, or the like; also, the principles themselves.
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Rationalism (răshŭn�lĭz'm), n. [Cf. F. rationalisme.] 1. (Theol.) The doctrine or system of those who deduce their religious opinions from reason or the understanding, as distinct from, or opposed to, revelation.
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2. (Philos.) The system that makes rational power the ultimate test of truth; -- opposed to sensualism, or sensationalism, and empiricism. Fleming.
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Rationalist, n. [Cf. F. rationaliste.] One who accepts rationalism as a theory or system; also, disparagingly, a false reasoner. See Citation under .
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{ Rationalistic (răshŭn�lĭstĭk), Rationalistical (-tĭk�l), } a. Belonging to, or in accordance with, the principles of rationalism. -- Rationalistically, adv.
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Rationality (răshŭnălĭt�; 277), n.; pl. -ties (-tĭz). [F. rationalité, or L. rationalitas.] The quality or state of being rational; agreement with reason; possession of reason; due exercise of reason; reasonableness.
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When God has made rationality the common portion of mankind, how came it to be thy inclosure? Gov. of Tongue.
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Well-directed intentions, whose rationalities will never bear a rigid examination. Sir T. Browne.
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Rationalization (răshŭn�lĭzāshŭn), n. The act or process of rationalizing.
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Rationalize (răshŭn�līz), v. t. 1. To make rational; also, to convert to rationalism.
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2. To interpret in the manner of a rationalist.
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3. To form a rational conception of.
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4. (Alg.) To render rational; to free from radical signs or quantities.
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Rationalize, v. i. To use, and rely on, reason in forming a theory, belief, etc., especially in matters of religion: to accord with the principles of rationalism.
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Theodore . . . is justly considered the chief rationalizing doctor of antiquity. J. H. Newman.
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Rationally, adv. In a rational manner.
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Rationalness, n. The quality or state of being rational; rationality.
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Ratitæ (rȧtīt�), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. ratis a raft; cf. L. ratitus marked with the figure of a raft.] (Zoöl.) An order of birds in which the wings are small, rudimentary, or absent, and the breastbone is destitute of a keel. The ostrich, emu, moa, and apteryx are examples.
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Ratitate (rătĭt�t), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Ratitæ.
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Ratite (rătīt), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Ratitæ. -- n. One of the Ratitæ.
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{ Ratlines, Ratlins } (rătlĭnz), n. pl. [Of uncertain origin.] (Naut.) The small transverse ropes attached to the shrouds and forming the steps of a rope ladder. [Written also ratlings, and rattlings.] Totten.
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Raton (rătŏn), n. [Cf. .] A small rat. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
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Ratoon (rȧt�n), n. 1. Same as , n.
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2. A rattan cane. [Obs.] Pepys.
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Ratoon, v. i. Same as , v. i.
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Ratsbane (rătsbān), n. [Rat + bane.] Rat poison; white arsenic.
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Ratsbaned (rătsbānd), a. Poisoned by ratsbane.
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Rat-tail (răttāl), a. Like a rat's tail in form; as, a rat-tail file, which is round, slender, and tapering. See Illust. of .
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Rat-tail, n. 1. (Far.) pl. An excrescence growing from the pastern to the middle of the shank of a horse.
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2. (Zoöl.) (a) The California chimæra. See . (b) Any fish of the genus Macrurus. See , 2.
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Rat-tailed (răttāld), a. (Zoöl.) Having a long, tapering tail like that of a rat.
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Coloq. Rat-tailed larva (Zoöl.), the larva of a fly of the genus Eristalis. See . -- Coloq. Rat-tailed serpent (Zoöl.), the fer-de-lance. -- Coloq. Rat-tailed shrew (Zoöl.), the musk shrew.
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Rattan (răttăn), n. [Malay rōtan.] [Written also ratan.] (Bot.) One of the long slender flexible stems of several species of palms of the genus Calamus, mostly East Indian, though some are African and Australian. They are exceedingly tough, and are used for walking sticks, wickerwork, chairs and seats of chairs, cords and cordage, and many other purposes.
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Ratteen (răttēn), n. [F. ratine.] A thick woolen stuff quilled or twilled.
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Ratten (rătt'n), v. t. [Prov. E. ratten a rat, hence the verb literally means, to do mischief like a rat.] To deprive feloniously of the tools used in one's employment (as by breaking or stealing them), for the purpose of annoying; as, to ratten a mechanic who works during a strike. [Trades-union Cant] J. McCarthy.
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Ratter (răttẽr), n. 1. One who, or that which, rats, as one who deserts his party.
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2. Anything which catches rats; esp., a dog trained to catch rats; a rat terrier. See .
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Rattinet (-tĭnĕt), n. A woolen stuff thinner than ratteen.
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Ratting (răttĭng), n. 1. The conduct or practices of one who rats. See , v. i., 1. Sydney Smith.
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2. The low sport of setting a dog upon rats confined in a pit to see how many he will kill in a given time.
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Rattle (rătt'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rattled (-t'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Rattling (-tlĭng).] [Akin to D. ratelen, G. rasseln, AS. hrætele a rattle, in hrætelwyrt rattlewort; cf. Gr. kradainein to swing, wave. Cf. a bird.] 1. To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises, as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies shaken together; to clatter.
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And the rude hail in rattling tempest forms. Addison.
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'T was but the wind,
Or the car rattling o'er the stony street. Byron.
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