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View synonyms for ray

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. one of the branches of an umbel.
    2. (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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Ray

2

/ reɪ /

noun

  1. Cape Ray
    a promontory in SW Newfoundland, Canada
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ray

3

/ reɪ /

noun

  1. music (in tonic sol-fa) the second degree of any major scale; supertonic
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ray

/ /

  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.


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Other Words From

  • raylike adjective
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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
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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
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Idioms and Phrases

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

See gleam.
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Example Sentences

"He brought Ray Charles to the mix as an influence on rock & roll," E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt once raved.

An x-ray two hours later confirms my hunch: my tibia (the big bone behind the shin) is snapped clean in two.

This is admittedly a loaded question, but do you feel James Earl Ray really killed Martin Luther King Jr.?

Thanks to CompStat and strategies added by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, crime continued to decline.

I have been a Ray Harryhausen fan since I was six or seven years old.

A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.

Gordon turned his pleading eyes on his old friend without a ray of concession; but for a moment he hesitated.

Presently a ray of inspiration dispelled the cloud from the features of the battered man.

The landing was in darkness, but as Gunn spoke he directed the ray of a pocket lamp upon a bronze plate bearing the name "Kazmah."

But the ray had shone upon the frosted glass long enough to enable Kerry to read the words painted there in square black letters.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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