rail1

[reyl] /reɪl/
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.
Compare stile2 .
9.
Slang. a line of cocaine crystals or powder for inhaling through the nose.
verb (used with object)
10.
to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English raile < Old French raille bar, beam < Latin rēgula bar, straight piece of wood, regula
Related forms
railless, adjective
raillike, adjective

rail2

[reyl] /reɪl/
verb (used without object)
1.
to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against):
to rail at fate.
verb (used with object)
2.
to bring, force, etc., by railing.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English railen < Middle French railler to deride < Provençal ralhar to chatter < Vulgar Latin *ragulāre, derivative of Late Latin ragere to bray
Related forms
railer, noun
railingly, adverb
Synonyms
1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.

rail3

[reyl] /reɪl/
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.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English rale < Old French raale (cognate with Provençal rascla), noun derivative of raler < Vulgar Latin *rāsiculāre frequentative of Latin rādere (past participle rāsus) to scratch
Examples from the web for rail
  • State rail firms have the ability to foil smaller rivals and new entrants.
  • Light rail is a great clean transit solution that could help many cities improve their quality of life.
  • The rail was a single line of meter-wide track, but it did the job, and people used it.
  • Undulating details repeat in the lighting and in the curtain rail.
  • Light and commuter rail to prominent suburbs have the potential to radically change the city.
  • Miniature rail tracks connect sheds that house lathes, marble cutters and other power equipment.
  • Here, the molding creates and unexpected plate rail for display, as well.
  • In fact the rail may act as a correcting device for aligning approaches in the near approach phase.
  • The circular door hardware matches the steel stair rail.
  • We've cut way back on driving as well, partly thanks to the coming of light rail to our city.
British Dictionary definitions for rail

rail1

/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 stile2
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.
off the rails
  1. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder
  2. eccentric or mad
verb (transitive)
9.
to provide with a rail or railings
10.
usually foll by in or off. to fence (an area) with rails
Derived Forms
railless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood

rail2

/reɪl/
verb
1.
(intransitive; foll by at or against) to complain bitterly or vehemently: to rail against fate
Derived Forms
railer, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh

rail3

/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
Word Origin
C15: from Old French raale, perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape
Word Origin and History for rail
n.

"horizontal bar passing from one post or support to another," c.1300, from Old French reille "bolt, bar," from Vulgar Latin *regla, from Latin regula "straight stick," diminutive form related to regere "to straighten, guide" (see regal). Used figuratively for thinness from 1872. To be off the rails in a figurative sense is from 1848, an image from the railroads. In U.S. use, "A piece of timber, cleft, hewed, or sawed, inserted in upright posts for fencing" [Webster, 1830].

"small wading bird," mid-15c., from Old French raale (13c.), related to râler "to rattle," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative of its cry.

v.

"complain," mid-15c., from Middle French railler "to tease or joke" (15c.), perhaps from Old Provençal ralhar "scoff, to chat, to joke," from Vulgar Latin *ragulare "to bray" (cf. Italian ragghiare "to bray"), from Late Latin ragere "to roar," probably of imitative origin. See rally (v.2). Related: Railed; railing.

"fence in with rails," late 14c., from rail (n.1). Related: Railed; railing.

Slang definitions & phrases for rail

rail

noun
  1. A thin row of powdered narcotic to be sniffed; line: I snorted the rails that Hondo offered (1960s+ Narcotics)
  2. An elongated sort of competition hot rod (1970s+ Hot rodders)

rail in Technology

robotics
Automatix. High-level language for industrial robots.
(2006-11-10)

Idioms and Phrases with rail

rail

see: