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.

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 oragainst ).

   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. 1. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder

   2. eccentric or mad

verb

1. to provide with a rail or railings

2. 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

Other Word Forms

• railless adjective
• railer noun
• raillike adjective
• railingly adverb

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 accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Gloria tramway hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, killed 16 people and laid bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction.

Read more on Barron's

While falling is a concern, stairs with rails may pose less risk to seniors than walking outdoors, and stair climbing strengthens leg muscles.

Read more on Barron's

The cross-Channel rail operator has confirmed it will order up to 50 trains from manufacturer Alstom, eventually increasing the size of its fleet by nearly a third.

Read more on BBC

Britain's rail regulator earlier this year ruled that Eurostar's London maintenance depot, Temple Mills, could be made available to other operators.

Read more on Barron's

The location of project, just above new tracks for the Long Island Railroad, meant that workers had to demolish -- and then reconstruct -- one of the rail line's halls.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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