ray

[ rey ]

/ reɪ /

See synonyms for ray on Thesaurus.com

noun

a narrow beam of light.

a gleam or slight manifestation: a ray of hope.

a raylike line or stretch of something.

light or radiance.

a line of sight.

Physics, Optics.

any of the lines or streams in which light appears to radiate from a luminous body.
the straight line normal to the wave front in the propagation of radiant energy.
a stream of material particles all moving in the same straight line.

Mathematics.

one of a system of straight lines emanating from a point.
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.

any of a system of parts radially arranged.

Zoology.

one of the branches or arms of a starfish or other radiate animal.
one of the bony or cartilaginous rods in the fin of a fish.

Botany.

ray flower.
one of the branches of an umbel.
vascular ray.
(in certain composite plants) the marginal part of the flower head.

Astronomy. one of many long, bright streaks radiating from some of the large lunar craters.

a prominent upright projection from the circlet of a crown or coronet, having a pointed or ornamented termination.

verb (used without object)

to emit rays.

to issue in rays.

verb (used with object)

to send forth in rays.

to throw rays upon; irradiate.

to subject to the action of rays, as in radiotherapy.

Informal. to make a radiograph of; x-ray.

to furnish with rays or radiating lines.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for ray

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

Origin of ray

1300–50; Middle English raie, raye from Old French rai from Latin radius radius

synonym study for ray

1. See gleam.

OTHER WORDS FROM ray

raylike, adjective

Definition for ray (2 of 3)

ray²

[ rey ]

/ reɪ /

noun

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.

Origin of ray

1275–1325; Middle English raye (<Old French rai) <Latin raia

Definition for ray (3 of 3)

Ray

[ rey for 1, 2, 4-6; rahy for 3 ]

/ reɪ for 1, 2, 4-6; raɪ for 3 /

noun

John, 1627?–1705, English naturalist.

Man

[man], /mæn/, 1890–1976, U.S. painter and photographer.

Sat·ya·jit

[suht-yuh-jit], /ˈsʌt yə dʒɪt/, 1921–92, Indian film director.

Cape, a promontory at the SW extremity of Newfoundland, Canada, on the Cabot Strait, at the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

a male given name, form of Raymond.

Also Raye . a female given name, form of Rachel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for ray

The SunSprite has a UV sensor, which warns you when the rays get intense enough to cause sunburn.
Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder With This New Tracker|DailyBurn|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had a festive air last Sunday as residents flooded into the spotlessly clean park to soak up the first rays of spring.
Is Kharkiv Ukraine’s Next Tipping Point?|Vijai Maheshwari|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I will never forget the rays of January sunshine that I squinted into after those seven hours were finally over.
Why I Got Banned from Israel|Anna Lekas Miller|August 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In some parts, the sun's rays struggle to pierce the tree canopies, casting the whole world in a greenish gloom.
Kevin Scott Sutay: Swallowed by the Jungle|Toby Muse|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

"They're otherwise engaged; they're making money; they're enjoying the rays of late summer," Vick wrote.
Will Foxman Call Kerry An Anti-Semite?|Ali Gharib|May 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The glorious sun of a summer's day poured its rays upon a glittering host.
William Shakespeare as he lived.|Henry Curling
That Light fills the earth, but here it shineth in darkness that obstructs its rays.
Expositions of Holy Scripture|Alexander Maclaren
The sun pours its rays into the unclean streets, the thermometer registers eighty in the shade.
London's Underworld|Thomas Holmes
From loss of blood and the exposure of the sun's rays, he called loudly for water.
History of Kershaw's Brigade|D. Augustus Dickert
They could see fish in great numbers in the pure water illumined by the sun's rays.
What the Moon Saw: and Other Tales|Hans Christian Andersen

British Dictionary definitions for ray (1 of 5)

ray¹

/ (reɪ) /

noun

a narrow beam of light; gleam

a slight indication, esp of something anticipated or hoped fora ray of solace

maths a straight line extending from a point

a thin beam of electromagnetic radiation or particles

any of the bony or cartilaginous spines of the fin of a fish that form the support for the soft part of the fin

any of the arms or branches of a starfish or other radiate animal

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

botany any strand of tissue that runs radially through the vascular tissue of some higher plantsSee medullary ray

verb

(of an object) to emit (light) in rays or (of light) to issue in the form of rays

(intr) (of lines, etc) to extend in rays or on radiating paths

(tr) to adorn (an ornament, etc) with rays or radiating lines

Word Origin for ray

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

British Dictionary definitions for ray (2 of 5)

ray²

/ (reɪ) /

noun

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

Word Origin for ray

C14: from Old French raie, from Latin raia

British Dictionary definitions for ray (3 of 5)

ray³

/ (reɪ) /

noun

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

Word Origin for ray

C14: see gamut

British Dictionary definitions for ray (4 of 5)

Ray¹

/ (reɪ) /

noun

Cape Ray a promontory in SW Newfoundland, Canada

British Dictionary definitions for ray (5 of 5)

Ray²

/ (reɪ) /

noun

John . 1627–1705, English naturalist. He originated natural botanical classification and the division of flowering plants into monocotyledons and dicotyledons

Man, real name Emmanuel Rudnitsky . 1890–1976, US surrealist photographer

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

Medical definitions for ray (1 of 2)

ray

[ rā ]

n.

A narrow beam of light or other electromagnetic radiation.

A narrow beam of particles, as a cathode.

A structure or part having the form of a straight line extending from a point.

Medical definitions for ray (2 of 2)

Ray

John 1627-1705

English naturalist who was the first to use anatomy to distinguish between specific plants and animals. He established the species as the basic classification of living things.

Scientific definitions for ray

ray

[ rā ]

A thin line or narrow beam of light or other radiation.

A geometric figure consisting of the part of a line that is on one side of a point on the line.

See ray flower.

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