ray

¹

[ rey ]

noun

1. a narrow beam of light.
2. a gleam or slight manifestation:

   a ray of hope.

3. a raylike line or stretch of something.
4. light or radiance.
5. a line of sight.
6. Physics, Optics.
   1. any of the lines or streams in which light appears to radiate from a luminous body.
   2. the straight line normal to the wave front in the propagation of radiant energy.
   3. a stream of material particles all moving in the same straight line.
7. Mathematics.
   1. one of a system of straight lines emanating from a point.
   2. Also called half-line. the part of a straight line considered as originating at a point on the line and as extending in one direction from that point.
8. any of a system of parts radially arranged.
9. Zoology.
   1. one of the branches or arms of a starfish or other radiate animal.
   2. one of the bony or cartilaginous rods in the fin of a fish.
10. Botany.
    1. ray flower.
    2. one of the branches of an umbel.
    3. vascular ray.
    4. (in certain composite plants) the marginal part of the flower head.
11. Astronomy. one of many long, bright streaks radiating from some of the large lunar craters.
12. a prominent upright projection from the circlet of a crown or coronet, having a pointed or ornamented termination.

verb (used without object)

1. to emit rays.
2. to issue in rays.

verb (used with object)

1. to send forth in rays.
2. to throw rays upon; irradiate.
3. to subject to the action of rays, as in radiotherapy.
4. Informal. to make a radiograph of; x-ray.
5. to furnish with rays or radiating lines.

ray

²

[ rey ]

noun

1. any of numerous elasmobranch fishes, adapted for life on the sea bottom, having a flattened body and greatly enlarged pectoral fins with the gills on the undersides.

Ray

³

[ rey rahy ]

noun

1. John, 1627?–1705, English naturalist.
2. Man [man], 1890–1976, U.S. painter and photographer.
3. Sat·ya·jit [suht, -y, uh, -jit], 1921–92, Indian film director.
4. Cape, a promontory at the SW extremity of Newfoundland, Canada, on the Cabot Strait, at the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
5. a male given name, form of Raymond.
6. Also Raye. a female given name, form of Rachel.

ray

¹

/ reɪ /

noun

1. a narrow beam of light; gleam
2. a slight indication, esp of something anticipated or hoped for

   a ray of solace

3. maths a straight line extending from a point
4. a thin beam of electromagnetic radiation or particles
5. any of the bony or cartilaginous spines of the fin of a fish that form the support for the soft part of the fin
6. any of the arms or branches of a starfish or other radiate animal
7. astronomy any of a number of bright streaks that radiate from the youngest lunar craters, such as Tycho; they are composed of crater ejecta not yet darkened, and extend considerable distances
8. botany any strand of tissue that runs radially through the vascular tissue of some higher plants See medullary ray

verb

1. (of an object) to emit (light) in rays or (of light) to issue in the form of rays
2. intr (of lines, etc) to extend in rays or on radiating paths
3. tr to adorn (an ornament, etc) with rays or radiating lines

Ray

²

/ reɪ /

noun

1. Cape Ray
   a promontory in SW Newfoundland, Canada

ray

³

/ reɪ /

noun

1. music (in tonic sol-fa) the second degree of any major scale; supertonic

Ray

⁴

/ reɪ /

noun

1. RayJohn16271705MEnglishSCIENCE: naturalist John . 1627–1705, English naturalist. He originated natural botanical classification and the division of flowering plants into monocotyledons and dicotyledons
2. RayMan18901976MUSARTS AND CRAFTS: photographer Man , real name Emmanuel Rudnitsky . 1890–1976, US surrealist photographer
3. RaySatyajit19211992MIndianFILMS AND TV: director Satyajit (ˈsætjədʒɪt). 1921–92, Indian film director, noted for his Apu trilogy (1955–59)

ray

⁵

/ reɪ /

noun

1. any of various marine selachian fishes typically having a flattened body, greatly enlarged winglike pectoral fins, gills on the undersurface of the fins, and a long whiplike tail. They constitute the orders Torpediniformes ( electric rays ) and Rajiformes

ray

/ rā /

1. A thin line or narrow beam of light or other radiation.
2. A geometric figure consisting of the part of a line that is on one side of a point on the line.
3. See ray flower

Other Words From

• raylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ray¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rai, raie, raye, from Old French rai “beam of light; spoke of a wheel,” from Latin radius radius

Origin of ray²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English rai(e), raye, (from Old French rai ) or directly from Latin raia

Word History and Origins

Origin of ray¹

C14: from Old French rai , from Latin radius spoke, radius

Origin of ray²

C14: see gamut

Origin of ray³

C14: from Old French raie , from Latin raia

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get / grab some rays, Slang. to relax in the sun, especially to sunbathe.

Synonym Study

See gleam.

Example Sentences

Unlike many others, he sees some rays of hope from the incoming Trump administration, especially with the appointment of Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

From BBC

In this form of investigation, x-rays are directed at the object of interest and the angles at which the rays are diffracted tell the researchers the object's arrangement of atoms.

From Science Daily

Ray also adds that her dogs are "a ray of light" and help to brighten up those "dark days."

From Salon

A hole was cut to let the beam of light shine through and a mirror was placed at the base to split the beam into smoky rays of blue light.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s pretend you just had a restful night’s sleep in your tent in your favorite campground, and as the sun’s rays start to peek through the pines, you think, “Mmm, coffee.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glimmer
• light
• radiation