# ray

Pronunciation: say "RAY" /ɹeɪ/

## Noun

1. A narrow beam of light or other radiation traveling out from a source.
   - Simple: A thin beam of light or other radiation.
   - _A single ray of light pierced the dark cave._
   - _Ultraviolet rays from the sun can damage skin over time._
2. Any of various flat-bodied fish of the superorder Batoidea, mostly marine, with large wing-like fins and often a whip-like tail.
   - Simple: A flat fish, usually living in the sea, with wide, wing-like fins and often a long, thin tail.
   - _The diver watched a ray bury itself in the sand to hide._
   - _A manta ray glided past the divers, its wide fins rising and falling like slow wings._
3. A slight sign or trace of something welcome, such as hope or comfort, often in the middle of hardship.
   - Simple: A small bit of something good, like hope or comfort, especially at a hard time.
   - _The rescue of two more miners offered the first ray of hope in days._
   - _Amid weeks of grim economic news, the jobs report provided a rare ray of optimism._
4. A straight line that begins at a fixed point and extends infinitely in one direction.
   - Simple: A straight line that starts at one point and goes on forever in one direction.
   - _A ray has one endpoint and continues without end in the other direction._
   - _The two rays meet at the vertex of the angle._
5. A radiating part of a flower, especially one of the outer florets around the edge of a composite flower such as a daisy or sunflower.
   - Simple: One of the petal-like parts around the edge of a flower such as a daisy or sunflower, each really a tiny flower.
   - _A ray at the edge of the flower head is actually a separate floret._
   - _The bright rays of an aster help attract pollinating insects._
6. A rib-like rod of bone or cartilage that stiffens and supports a fish's fin.
   - Simple: One of the thin, stiff rods that support a fish's fin.
   - _A broken ray can make it hard for the fish to swim straight._
   - _Biologists count the rays in each fin to tell species apart._
7. One of the radiating body sections of an echinoderm, especially an arm of a starfish or brittle star.
   - Simple: One of the arms of a starfish or a similar animal.
   - _When a predator grabs one ray, the starfish may shed it and escape._
   - _Brittle stars move by waving their slender rays across the seabed._
10. Alternative form of re. — Alternative form of re.
   - Simple: Alternative form of re. It is the second note in the do-re-mi singing scale.
   - _She slid up from do to ray and held the note steady._
   - _The choir moved from do to ray in perfect unison._

## Verb

8. To subject something to radiation.
   - Simple: To put something under radiation.
9. To send out, or spread outward, in rays or beams.
   - Simple: To send out rays, or to spread outward like rays.
   - _From the central plaza, a dozen narrow streets ray out toward the old city walls._
   - _When the sun broke through, light rayed out between the clouds over the bay._

## Verb

11. To dress or clothe someone, especially in fine or formal garments. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To dress someone in clothes, often fine ones.
13. To put into order; to arrange. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put things in order, or to arrange them.
14. To stain, soil, or make something dirty; to defile. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something dirty, or to stain it.

## Noun

12. Sight or vision; based on an old theory that seeing involved something passing from the eye to the object. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The power to see, also called sight.
15. Orderly arrangement or array; also fine clothing or dress. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Order, arrangement, or fine clothing.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A character in Pitman shorthand, one of two strokes that represent the 'r' sound.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–9, 12** — This word came through Middle English from Old French "rai," from Latin "radius" (meaning staff, stake, or spoke). It is a doublet of "radius."
**Meaning 2** — This came from Middle English "raye" and Old French "raie," from Latin "raia," whose origin is uncertain. Compare Old English "reohhe" (ray).
**Meanings 11, 13–15** — This word was shortened from "array."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ray (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).