rail

¹

[ reyl ]

noun

1. a bar of wood or metal fixed horizontally for any of various purposes, as for a support, barrier, fence, or railing.
2. a fence; railing.
3. one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack.
4. one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives and railroad cars.
5. the railroad as a means of transportation:

   to travel by rail.

6. rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.
7. Nautical. a horizontal member capping a bulwark.
8. Carpentry, Furniture. any of various horizontal members framing panels or the like, as in a system of paneling, paneled door, window sash, or chest of drawers. Compare stile ².
9. Slang. a line of cocaine crystals or powder for inhaling through the nose.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.

rail

²

[ reyl ]

verb (used without object)

1. to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against ):

   to rail at fate.

   Synonyms: revile, rant, castigate, inveigh, fulminate

verb (used with object)

1. to bring, force, etc., by railing.

rail

³

[ reyl ]

noun

1. any of numerous birds of the family Rallidae, that have short wings, a narrow body, long toes, and a harsh cry and inhabit grasslands, forests, and marshes in most parts of the world.

rail

¹

/ reɪl /

noun

1. a horizontal bar of wood, metal, etc, supported by vertical posts, functioning as a fence, barrier, handrail, etc
2. a horizontal bar fixed to a wall on which to hang things

   a picture rail

3. a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling Compare stile 2
4. short for railing
5. one of a pair of parallel bars laid on a prepared track, roadway, etc, that serve as a guide and running surface for the wheels of a railway train, tramcar, etc
6. 1. short for railway
   2. ( as modifier )

      rail transport

7. nautical a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark
8. off the rails
   1. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder
   2. eccentric or mad

verb

1. to provide with a rail or railings
2. usually foll byin or off to fence (an area) with rails

rail

²

/ reɪl /

verb

1. intr; foll by at or against to complain bitterly or vehemently

   to rail against fate

rail

³

/ reɪl /

noun

1. any of various small wading birds of the genus Rallus and related genera: family Rallidae , order Gruiformes (cranes, etc). They have short wings, long legs, and dark plumage

Derived Forms

• ˈrailless, adjective
• ˈrailer, noun

Other Words From

• railless adjective
• raillike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rail¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English raile, rail(le), from Old French raille, reille, Anglo-French raila, reyla “(horizontal) bar, beam,” from Latin rēgula “bar, straight piece of wood”; regula

Origin of rail²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English railen, from Middle French railler “to mock, deride,” from Provençal ralhar “to babble, chatter,” from Vulgar Latin ragulāre (unattested), derivative of Late Latin ragere “to bray”

Origin of rail³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English rale, rail, from Middle French raale, raille, from Old French rasle, noun derivative of râler, racler, from Vulgar Latin rāsiculāre (unattested), frequentative of Latin rādere (past participle rāsus ) “to scratch”

Word History and Origins

Origin of rail¹

C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood

Origin of rail²

C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh

Origin of rail³

C15: from Old French raale , perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape

Idioms and Phrases

see off the rails ; thin as a rail ; third rail .

Example Sentences

The incentives vary by location and project type, but here’s one example: Lots near both a Metro rail station and a rapid bus line could see developers build 120% more units than the underlying zoning allows, with the percentage of required low-income affordable units ranging from 11% to 27% of the new project.

From Los Angeles Times

The government is set to order an independent review of rail fare prosecutions and enforcement by train companies following reports of disproportionate action against passengers by revenue protection teams.

From BBC

The BBC understands that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh will ask the Office for Rail and Road to look at how fare evasion is dealt with.

From BBC

A key question for the Office for Rail and Road will be when prosecution is the right step.

From BBC

Among the options they are considering are pay as you go and digital season tickets that can be used across the rail network.

From BBC

Related Words

• castigate
• complain
• fume
• inveigh
• rant
• scold
• thunder