rail

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(rāl) pronunciation
n.
    1. A bar extending horizontally between supports, as in a fence.
    2. A structure made of such bars and supports and forming a barrier or guard; a railing.
  1. A steel bar used, usually in pairs, as a track for railroad cars or other wheeled vehicles.
  2. The railroad as a means of transportation: goods transported by rail.
  3. A horizontal framing member in a door or in paneling.
tr.v., railed, rail·ing, rails.
To supply or enclose with rails or a rail.

[Middle English raile, from Old French reille, from Latin rēgula, straight piece of wood, ruler.]


rail2 (rāl) pronunciation
n.
Any of various marsh birds of the family Rallidae, characteristically having brownish plumage and short wings adapted only for short flights.

[Middle English raile, from Old French raale, perhaps from Old French raler, racler, to scrape, from Old Provençal rasclar. See raclette.]


rail3 (rāl) pronunciation
intr.v., railed, rail·ing, rails.
To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh, or abusive language. See synonyms at scold.

[Middle English railen, from Old French railler, to tease, joke, from Old Provençal ralhar, to chat, joke, from Vulgar Latin *ragulāre, to bray, from Late Latin ragere.]

railer rail'er n.


Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)
(click to enlarge)
Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) (credit: John H. Gerard — The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers)
Any of 127 species (family Rallidae) of slender marsh birds found almost worldwide. Rails have short rounded wings, a short tail, large feet, and long toes. Their loud call, especially at night, reveals their presence in dense vegetation. They are mostly dull grays and browns, often with barred patterns. Species vary from 4 to 18 in. (11 to 45 cm) long. Short-billed species are often called crakes. The king (Rallus elegans), clapper (R. longirostris), and Virginia (R. limicola) rails and the sora, or Carolina rail (Porzana carolina), have been hunted in the U.S.; several of the rails are now endangered, and some species have been exterminated.

For more information on rail, visit Britannica.com.


v

Definition: criticize harshly
Antonyms: compliment, praise

n. a steel bar or continuous line of bars laid on the ground as one of a pair forming a railway track.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.


1. A bar of wood or other material passing from one post or other support to another; a hand support along a stairway.
2. A structure consisting of rails and their sustaining posts, balusters, or pillars, and constituting an enclosure or a line of division, as a balcony rail.
3. A horizontal piece in a frame or paneling as a door rail, or in the framework of a window sash.

ragwork, 1
rail, 3


rail, common name for some members of the large family Rallidae, marsh and tropical forest birds that include the gallinule and the coot, two specialized rails. Rails are cosmopolitan in distribution, except in polar regions. Although migratory, they have small wings and are weak fliers, escaping danger by concealment rather than flight. They are protectively colored in drab browns and reds and have extremely slender bodies (whence the expression "thin as a rail") and strong legs, enabling them to dart through thick marsh vegetation undetected. Rails, also called mud hens or marsh hens, are omnivorous, hunting their food at nightfall. They may be divided into two major types: the long-billed rails, which include the Virginia (Rallus limicola), king, clapper, and water rails; and those with short, conical bills, including the sora (Porzana carolina), yellow, and black rails (called crakes in Europe.) Gallinules are rails that have webbed toes; they are more aquatic and less timid than those members of the family specifically called rails. They have bright forehead shields and are widespread in temperate and tropical regions. The common American gallinule, Gallinula chloropus, and the similar Eurasian moorhen are drab in color; the gaudier purple gallinule, Porphyrula martinica, found from Texas to Ecuador, has blue-green plumage and yellow legs. Fifteen species of extinct flightless rails are known, and a number of flightless rails and gallinules still exist. The rails are all considered good game birds and are perhaps the most widely distributed of all the avian families. Rails are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Gruiformes, family Rallidae.


Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'rail'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to rail, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Rail.

Rail or rails may refer to:

Railway transportation
  • A generic term for railroads, railways, rail transport, and related matters
  • Rail tracks, or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
  • Rail profile, the cross sectional shape of a railway rail
  • Third rail, a method of providing electric power to a railway train
  • Conductor rail, a structural steel surface fitted alongside a rail track to provide electrical power to the train
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
  • Picatinny rail, a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform for telescopic sights and other accessories
  • Rails or Rallidae, a family of birds which includes crakes, coots, and gallinules
  • Railing, a slang term for insufflation (medicine), whereby a substance, such as cocaine, is inhaled for recreational effects
  • Structural
    • Guard rail, for protective separation of persons (including those in vehicles) from dangerous places or situations
    • Hand rail, for physical support, such as on stairways and steps
    • Theatre rail, see batten (theater), from which lighting fixtures, theatrical scenery, tabs or curtains may be hung
    • Curtain rail, see curtain, from which curtains are hung
    • Door rails, see frame and panel, a horizontal outside member on a door or in a frame and panel construction
  • Electrical engineering
    • Power supply rail or voltage rail, a single voltage provided by a power supply unit
Other users

See also


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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - skinne (jernbane), gelænder, stakit, håndklædestang, rækværk, tremmer
v. tr. - forsyne med rækværk, indhegne

idioms:

  • back on the rails    i gang igen
  • off the rails    løbe af sporet, blive afsporet, gå helt over gevind
  • over the rails    overbord, ud over rælingen
  • rail in    indhegne
  • rail link    lufthavnsbus
  • rail off    indhegne, skille fra

2.
n. - [zool.] vandrikse

3.
v. intr. - skælde ud (over), rase (imod)

Nederlands (Dutch)
rail, reling, spoorrail, spoorwegen, steun(balk), dwarshout, ral(vogels), waterral, van reling/rails voorzien, uitvaren

Français (French)
1.
n. - balustrade, parapet, garde-fou, rampe, bastingage, présentoir, tringle, (Transp) rail, corde (aux courses) (npl)
v. tr. - mettre/entourer d'un grillage

idioms:

  • back on the rails    de nouveau sur les rails
  • off the rails    dérailler (fam)
  • on the rails    (tenir) la corde (aux courses), sur les rails
  • over the rails    par dessus bord
  • rail in    clôturer
  • rail link    liaison ferroviaire
  • rail off    séparer (qch) par un grillage, entourer d'un grillage

2.
n. - (Zool) rallidés

3.
v. intr. - s'insurger contre

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Schiene, Gleis, Eisenbahn, Reling, Latte, (Ornith.) Ralle
v. - einzäunen, mit der Bahn senden, schimpfen

idioms:

  • back on the rails    wieder erfolgreich
  • off the rails    entgleist, auf der schiefen Bahn
  • on the rails    alles in Ordnung
  • over the rails    über die Reling
  • rail in    einzäunen
  • rail link    Bahnstrecke
  • rail off    abzäunen

2.
n. - Schiene, Gleis, Eisenbahn, Reling, Latte, (Ornith.) Ralle

3.
v. - einzäunen, mit der Bahn senden, schimpfen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σιδηροτροχιά, ράγια, σιδηρόδρομος, κάγκελο, κουπαστή πλοίου, βέργα, κρεμάστρα, κουπαστή σκάλας, κιγκλίδωμα, (πληθ.) ράγες, σιδηροτροχιές, γραμμές
v. - περιφράσσω, επιπλήττω (κν. κατσαδιάζω), καταφέρομαι (εναντίον)

idioms:

  • back on the rails    σε νέα τροχιά, αναζωογονημένος
  • off the rails    εκτροχιασμένος
  • over the rails    (πεσμένος) στη θάλασσα (από πλοίο)
  • rail in    περιφράσσω
  • rail link    σιδηροδρομική σύνδεση (δύο πόλεων)
  • rail off    χωρίζω

Italiano (Italian)
inveire, recriminare, lamentarsi, munire di sbarre, porre cancelli, rotaia, ferrovie, parapetto

idioms:

  • back on the rails    tornato alla normalitý
  • off the rails    sconvolto, frastornato
  • over the rails    a mare
  • rail in    cintare, chiudere con inferriate (staccionate)
  • rail link    comunicazione ferroviaria
  • rail off    recingere, separare con inferriate (staccionate)

Português (Portuguese)
n. - trilho (m), parapeito (m)
v. - viajar de trem, zangar-se com

idioms:

  • back on the rails    andar na linha (coloq.)
  • off the rails    sair dos trilhos
  • over the rails    estar quebrado
  • rail in    mostrar a realidade a alguém
  • rail link    conexão (m)
  • rail off    cercar

Русский (Russian)
прокладывать рельсы, обносить оградой, ругать, рельсы, железнодорожный путь, ограда, перила

idioms:

  • back on the rails    снова в деле
  • off the rails    (сойти) с катушек
  • over the rails    (опираясь) о перила
  • rail in    загнать, отгородить, смирить
  • rail link    железнодорожная связь
  • rail off    отгородить

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - carril, riel, vía, ferrocarriles, baranda, barandilla
v. tr. - cercar, vallar, mandar por ferrocarril, baranda, barandilla

idioms:

  • back on the rails    volver a la normalidad
  • off the rails    descarrilar, descarriarse, apartarse del buen camino, desorganizado, que no funciona bien
  • on the rails    sobre carriles
  • over the rails    (echar) por la borda
  • rail in    cercar, rodear de una valla
  • rail link    empalme ferroviario
  • rail off    separar con barandilla

2.
n. - rascón, ralo acuático

3.
v. intr. - injuriar de palabra, vituperar, hablar mal de, quejarse de

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - räls, ledstång, (sl) sträng med narkotika
v. - resa med tåg, inhängna

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 栏杆, 扶手, 铁轨, 给...围栏杆, 用栏杆隔开, 用栏杆围, 给...铺设轨道

idioms:

  • back on the rails    回到正轨上
  • off the rails    出轨的, 混乱的
  • over the rails    倚靠在栏杆上
  • rail in    用栏杆围进
  • rail link    栏杆
  • rail off    用栅栏隔开

2. 秧鸡

3. 责骂, 抱怨

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 欄杆, 扶手, 鐵軌
v. tr. - 給...圍欄杆, 用欄杆隔開, 用欄杆圍, 給...鋪設軌道

idioms:

  • back on the rails    回到正軌上
  • off the rails    出軌的, 混亂的
  • over the rails    倚靠在欄杆上
  • rail in    用欄杆圍進
  • rail link    欄杆
  • rail off    用柵欄隔開

2.
n. - 秧雞

3.
v. intr. - 責罵, 抱怨

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 가로장, 레일
v. tr. - 가로장으로 둘러 막다, 레일을 깔다

idioms:

  • over the rails    뱃전에 기대어, 바닷속으로
  • rail in    둘러막다, 레일을 깔다
  • rail off    사이를 막다

2.
n. - 흰눈썹뜸부기

3.
v. intr. - 욕하다, 꾸짖다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 手すり, 横木, 横棒, レール, 鉄道, クイナ
v. - 柵で囲む, 手すりを付ける, ののしる

idioms:

  • off the rails    脱線して, 秩序を失って, 常軌を逸して
  • over the rails    脱線して
  • rail in    棚で囲む
  • rail link    鉄道リンク
  • rail off    棚で囲む

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سكه حديديه, حاجز, سياج (فعل) يسيج, يشكو مر الشكوى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פס, גדר, מעקה, מתלה, רכבת, פס של מסילת-ברזל‬
v. tr. - ‮הקים מעקה (סביב), הלך על מעקה, העביר (סחורות) ברכבת‬
n. - ‮תרנגולת האגם (עוף ביצה)‬
v. intr. - ‮התמרמר, רגן, הטיח טענות, התלונן או מחה בחוזק ובהתמדה נגד‬


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