1. A border; edge; margin. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

2. A long, fleshy piece, as of beef, cut from the flank or leg; a sort of steak. Beau. & Fl.

3. A thin inner sole for a shoe; also, a leveling slip of leather applied to the sole before attaching the heel.

Rand, v. i. [See Rant.] To rant; to storm. [Obs.]

I wept, . . . and raved, and randed, and railed.

J. Webster.

Ran"dall grass` (rn"dal grs`). (Bot.) The meadow fescue (Festuca elatior). See under Grass.

Ran"dan (-dn), n. The product of a second sifting of meal; the finest part of the bran. [Prov. Eng.]

Ran"dan, n. A boat propelled by three rowers with four oars, the middle rower pulling two.

Rand"ing (rnd"ng), n. 1. (Shoemaking) The act or process of making and applying rands for shoes.

2. (Mil.) A kind of basket work used in gabions.

Ran"dom (rn"dm), n. [OE. randon, OF. randon force, violence, rapidity, à randon, de randon, violently, suddenly, rapidly, prob. of German origin; cf. G. rand edge, border, OHG. rant shield, edge of a shield, akin to E. rand, n. See Rand, n.] 1. Force; violence. [Obs.]

For courageously the two kings newly fought with great random and force.

E. Hall.

2. A roving motion; course without definite direction; want of direction, rule, or method; hazard; chance; -- commonly used in the phrase at random, that is, without a settled point of direction; at hazard.

Counsels, when they fly At random, sometimes hit most happily.

Herrick.

O, many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the archer little meant!

Sir W. Scott.

3. Distance to which a missile is cast; range; reach; as, the random of a rifle ball. Sir K. Digby.

4. (Mining) The direction of a rake- vein. Raymond.

Ran"dom, a. Going at random or by chance; done or made at hazard, or without settled direction, aim, or purpose; hazarded without previous calculation; left to chance; haphazard; as, a random guess.

Some random truths he can impart.

Wordsworth.

So sharp a spur to the lazy, and so strong a bridle to the random.

H. Spencer.

Random courses (Masonry), courses of stone of unequal thickness. -- Random shot, a shot not directed or aimed toward any particular object, or a shot with the muzzle of the gun much elevated. -- Random work (Masonry), stonework consisting of stones of unequal sizes fitted together, but not in courses nor always with flat beds.

<! p. 1188 pr=vmg !>

Ran"dom*ly (rn"dm*l), adv. In a random manner.

Ran"don (-dn), n. Random. [Obs.] Spenser.

Ran"don, v. i. To go or stray at random. [Obs.]

Rane"deer` (rn"dr`), n. See Reindeer. [Obs.]

||Ra"nee (rä"n), n. Same as Rani.

Ran"force` (rn"frs`), n. [Cf. F. renforcer.] See Reënforce. [Obs.] Bailey.

Rang (rng), imp. of Ring, v. t. & i.

Range (rnj), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ranged (rnjd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ranging (rn"jng).] [OE. rengen, OF. rengier, F. ranger, OF. renc row, rank, F. rang; of German origin. See Rank, n.] 1. To set in a row, or in rows; to place in a regular line or lines, or in ranks; to dispose in the proper order; to rank; as, to range soldiers in line.

Maccabeus ranged his army by bands.

2 Macc. xii. 20.

2. To place (as a single individual) among others in a line, row, or order, as in the ranks of an army; -- usually, reflexively and figuratively, (in the sense) to espouse a cause, to join a party, etc.

It would be absurd in me to range myself on the side of the Duke of Bedford and the corresponding society.

Burke.

3. To separate into parts; to sift. [Obs.] Holland.

4. To dispose in a classified or in systematic order; to arrange regularly; as, to range plants and animals in genera and species.

5. To rove over or through; as, to range the fields.

Teach him to range the ditch, and force the brake.

Gay.

6. To sail or pass in a direction parallel to or near; as, to range the coast.

Compare the last two senses (5 and 6) with the French ranger une côte.

7. (Biol.) To be native to, or to live in; to frequent.

Range, v. i. 1. To rove at large; to wander without restraint or direction; to roam.

Like a ranging spaniel that barks at every bird he sees.

Burton.

2. To have range; to change or differ within limits; to be capable of projecting, or to admit of being projected, especially as to horizontal distance; as, the temperature ranged through seventy degrees Fahrenheit; the gun ranges three miles; the shot ranged four miles.

3. To be placed in order; to be ranked; to admit of arrangement or classification; to rank.

And range with humble livers in content.

Shak.

4. To have a certain direction; to correspond in direction; to be or keep in a corresponding line; to trend or run; -- often followed by with; as, the front of a house ranges with the street; to range along the coast.

Which way the forests range.

Dryden.

5. (Biol.) To be native to, or live in, a certain district or region; as, the peba ranges from Texas to Paraguay.

Syn. -- To rove; roam; ramble; wander; stroll.

Range, n. [From Range, v.: cf. F. rangée.] 1. A series of things in a line; a row; a rank; as, a range of buildings; a range of mountains.

2. An aggregate of individuals in one rank or degree; an order; a class.

The next range of beings above him are the immaterial intelligences.

Sir M. Hale.

3. The step of a ladder; a rung. Clarendon.

4. A kitchen grate. [Obs.]

He was bid at his first coming to take off the range, and let down the cinders.

L'Estrange.

5. An extended cooking apparatus of cast iron, set in brickwork, and affording conveniences for various ways of cooking; also, a kind of cooking stove.

6. A bolting sieve to sift meal. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

7. A wandering or roving; a going to and fro; an excursion; a ramble; an expedition.

He may take a range all the world over.

South.

8. That which may be ranged over; place or room for excursion; especially, a region of country in which cattle or sheep may wander and pasture.

9. Extent or space taken in by anything excursive; compass or extent of excursion; reach; scope; discursive power; as, the range of one's voice, or authority.

Far as creation's ample range extends.

Pope.

The range and compass of Hammond's knowledge filled the whole circle of the arts.

Bp. Fell.

A man has not enough range of thought.

Addison.

10. (Biol.) The region within which a plant or animal naturally lives.

11. (Gun.) (a) The horizontal distance to which a shot or other projectile is carried. (b) Sometimes, less properly, the trajectory of a shot or projectile. (c) A place where shooting, as with cannons or rifles, is practiced.

12. In the public land system of the United States, a row or line of townships lying between two successive meridian lines six miles apart.

The meridians included in each great survey are numbered in order east and west from the "principal meridian" of that survey, and the townships in the range are numbered north and south from the "base line," which runs east and west; as, township No. 6, N., range 7, W., from the fifth principal meridian.

13. (Naut.) See Range of cable, below.

Range of accommodation (Optics), the distance between the near point and the far point of distinct vision, -- usually measured and designated by the strength of the lens which if added to the refracting media of the eye would cause the rays from the near point to appear as if they came from the far point. -- Range finder (Gunnery), an instrument, or apparatus, variously constructed, for ascertaining the distance of an inaccessible object, -- used to determine what elevation must be given to a gun in order to hit the object; a position finder. -- Range of cable (Naut.), a certain length of slack cable ranged along the deck preparatory to letting go the anchor. -- Range work (Masonry), masonry of squared stones laid in courses each of which is of even height throughout the length of the wall; -- distinguished from broken range work, which consists of squared stones laid in courses not continuously of even height. -- To get the range of (an object) (Gun.), to find the angle at which the piece must be raised to reach (the object) without carrying beyond.

Range"ment (rnj"ment), n. [Cf. F. rangement.] Arrangement. [Obs.] Waterland.

Ran"ger (rn"jr), n. 1. One who ranges; a rover; sometimes, one who ranges for plunder; a roving robber.

2. That which separates or arranges; specifically, a sieve. [Obs.] "The tamis ranger." Holland.

3. A dog that beats the ground in search of game.

4. One of a body of mounted troops, formerly armed with short muskets, who range over the country, and often fight on foot.

5. The keeper of a public park or forest; formerly, a sworn officer of a forest, appointed by the king's letters patent, whose business was to walk through the forest, recover beasts that had strayed beyond its limits, watch the deer, present trespasses to the next court held for the forest, etc. [Eng.]

Ran"ger*ship, n. The office of the keeper of a forest or park. [Eng.]

Ran"gle (rn"g'l), v. i. To range about in an irregular manner. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

||Ra"ni (rä"n), n. [Hind. rn, Skr. rjn. See Rajah.] A queen or ||princess; the wife of a rajah. [Written also ranee.] [India]

Ra"nine (r"nn), a. [L. rana a frog.] 1. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the frogs and toads.