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rail
1[ reyl ]
/ reɪl /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of rail
1First 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”; see also regula
OTHER WORDS FROM rail
railless, adjectiveraillike, adjectiveWords nearby rail
Other definitions for rail (2 of 3)
rail2
[ reyl ]
/ reɪl /
verb (used without object)
to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against): to rail at fate.
verb (used with object)
to bring, force, etc., by railing.
Origin of rail
2First 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”
OTHER WORDS FROM rail
railer, nounrail·ing·ly, adverbOther definitions for rail (3 of 3)
rail3
[ reyl ]
/ reɪl /
noun
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.
Origin of rail
3First 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”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rail in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for rail (1 of 3)
rail1
/ (reɪl) /
noun
verb (tr)
to provide with a rail or railings
(usually foll by in or off) to fence (an area) with rails
Derived forms of rail
railless, adjectiveWord Origin for rail
C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood
British Dictionary definitions for rail (2 of 3)
rail2
/ (reɪl) /
verb
(intr ; foll by at or against) to complain bitterly or vehementlyto rail against fate
Derived forms of rail
railer, nounWord Origin for rail
C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh
British Dictionary definitions for rail (3 of 3)
rail3
/ (reɪl) /
noun
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
Word Origin for rail
C15: from Old French raale, perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with rail
rail
see off the rails; thin as a rail; third rail.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.