ray

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

ray, v. t. [An aphetic form of array; cf. Beray.].

•  To array.  Sir T. More.  [1913 Webster]
•  To mark, stain, or soil; to streak; to defile.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

ray, n. 

 Array; order; arrangement; dress.  [1913 Webster]
"And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray."  [1913 Webster]

ray, n. [OF. rai, F. rais, fr. L. radius a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf. Radius.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the radiating spines, or cartilages, supporting the fins of fishes.  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  Sight; perception; vision; -- from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen.  [1913 Webster]

  "All eyes direct their rays
  On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze."  [1913 Webster]
•  One of a system of diverging lines passing through a point, and regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions. See Half-ray.  [1913 Webster]

Bundle of rays. (Geom.) See Pencil of rays, below. -- Extraordinary ray (Opt.), that one of two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which does not follow the ordinary law of refraction. -- Ordinary ray (Opt.) that one of the two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which follows the usual or ordinary law of refraction. -- Pencil of rays (Geom.), a definite system of rays. -- Ray flower, or Ray floret (Bot.), one of the marginal flowers of the capitulum in such composite plants as the aster, goldenrod, daisy, and sunflower. They have an elongated, strap-shaped corolla, while the corollas of the disk flowers are tubular and five-lobed. -- Ray point (Geom.), the common point of a pencil of rays. -- Röntgen ray (r (Phys.), a kind of ray generated in a very highly exhausted vacuum tube by the electrical discharge; now more commonly called X-ray. It is composed of electromagnetic radiation of wavelength shorter than that of ultraviolet light, and is capable of passing through many bodies opaque to light, and producing photographic and fluorescent effects by which means pictures showing the internal structure of opaque objects are made, called radiographs, sciagraphs, X-ray photographs, radiograms, or X-rays. So called from the discoverer, W. C. Röntgen. -- X ray, the Röntgen ray; -- so called by its discoverer because of its enigmatical character, x being an algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity.

ray, v. t. [Cf. OF. raier, raiier, rayer, L. radiare to irradiate. See Ray, n., and cf. Radiate.].

•  To mark with long lines; to streak.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]
•  To send forth or shoot out; to cause to shine out; as, to ray smiles.  Thomson.  [1913 Webster]

ray, v. i. 

 To shine, as with rays.  Mrs. Browning.  [1913 Webster]

ray, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach.].

 Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Raiæ, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc.  [1913 Webster]

Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray (Stoasodon nàrinari) of the Southern United States and the West Indies. -- 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 Myliobatidæ, or Ætobatidæ. 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 Trygonidæ having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also stingaree.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ray, n. & v.
--n.
1 a single line or narrow beam of light from a small or distant source.
2 a straight line in which radiation travels to a given point.
3 (in pl.) radiation of a specified type (gamma rays; X-rays).
4 a trace or beginning of an enlightening or cheering influence (a ray of hope).
5 a any of a set of radiating lines or parts of things. b any of a set of straight lines passing through one point.
6 the marginal portion of a composite flower, e.g. a daisy.
7 a a radial division of a starfish. b each of a set of bones etc. supporting a fish's fin.
--v.
1 intr. (foll. by forth, out) (of light, thought, emotion, etc.) issue in or as if in rays.
2 intr. & tr. radiate.

Idiom

ray gun (esp. in science fiction) a gun causing injury or damage by the emission of rays.

Derivative

rayed adj. rayless adj. raylet n.

ray, n. a large cartilaginous fish of the order Batoidea, with a broad flat body, winglike pectoral fins and a long slender tail, used as food.

ray, n. (also re) Mus.
1 (in tonic sol-fa) the second note of a major scale.
2 the note D in the fixed-doh system.

Etymology

ME re f. L resonare: see GAMUT

THESAURUS

ray

Reptilia, X ray, actinic ray, actinism, amplitude, antinode, atom, atomic beam, atomic ray, beam, beam of light, crest, de Broglie wave, diffraction, diffuse, diffusion, disperse, dispersion, drop, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic wave, emanate, emanation, frequency, frequency band, frequency spectrum, gamma ray, gleam, guided wave, in phase, infrared ray, interference, invisible radiation, jot, leam, light, longitudinal wave, lota, mechanical wave, minim, molecule, moonbeam, node, out of phase, patch, pencil, period, periodic wave, photon, radiance, radiate, radiation, radio wave, radiorays, radius, ray of light, reinforcement, resonance, resonance frequency, ribbon, ribbon of light, scatter, scattering, scrap, seismic wave, shaft, shock wave, shoot, shred, smidgen, solar rays, sound wave, spoke, spread, streak, stream, stream of light, streamer, sunbeam, surface wave, tidal wave, transverse wave, trough, ultraviolet ray, violet ray, wave, wave equation, wave motion, wave number, wavelength

ROGET THESAURUS

ray

Light

N light, ray, beam, stream, gleam, streak, pencil, sunbeam, moonbeam, aurora, day, sunshine, light of day, light of heaven, moonlight, starlight, sunlight, daylight, broad daylight, noontide light, noontide, noonday, noonday sun, glow, glimmering, glint, play of light, flood of light, phosphorescence, lambent flame, flush, halo, glory, nimbus, aureola, spark, scintilla, facula, sparkling, emication, scintillation, flash, blaze, coruscation, fulguration, flame, lightning, levin, ignis fatuus, luster, sheen, shimmer, reflexion, reflection, gloss, tinsel, spangle, brightness, brilliancy, splendor, effulgence, refulgence, fulgor, fulgidity, dazzlement, resplendence, transplendency, luminousness, luminosity, lucidity, renitency, nitency, radiance, radiation, irradiation, illumination, actinic rays, actinism, Roentgen-ray, Xray, photography, heliography, photometer, optics, photology, photometry, dioptrics, catoptrics, chiaroscuro, clairobscur, clear obscure, breadth, light and shade, black and white, tonality, reflection, refraction, dispersion, refractivity, shining, luminous, luminiferous, lucid, lucent, luculent, lucific, luciferous, light, lightsome, bright, vivid, splendent, nitid, lustrous, shiny, beamy, scintillant, radiant, lambent, sheen, sheeny, glossy, burnished, glassy, sunny, orient, meridian, noonday, tide, cloudless, clear, unclouded, unobscured, gairish, garish, resplendent, transplendent, refulgent, effulgent, fulgid, fulgent, relucent, splendid, blazing, in a blaze, ablaze, rutilant, meteoric, phosphorescent, aglow, bright as silver, light as day, bright as day, light as noonday, bright as noonday, bright as the sun at noonday, actinic, photogenic, graphic, heliographic, heliophagous, a day for gods to stoop and men to soar, dark with excessive bright.