Rap*pee" (rp*p"), n. [F. râpé, fr. râper to grate, to rasp. See Rasp, v.] A pungent kind of snuff made from the darker and ranker kinds of tobacco leaves.

Rap"pel (rp"pl or rp*pl"), n. [F. Cf. Repeal.] (Mil.) The beat of the drum to call soldiers to arms.

Rap"per (rp"pr), n. [From Rap.] 1. One who, or that which, raps or knocks; specifically, the knocker of a door. Sterne.

2. A forcible oath or lie. [Slang] Bp. Parker.

Rap*port" (rp*prt"; F. r`pôr"), n. [F., fr. rapporter to bring again or back, to refer; pref. re- re- + apporter to bring, L. apportare. Cf. Report.] Relation; proportion; conformity; correspondence; accord.

'T is obvious what rapport there is between the conceptions and languages in every country.

Sir W. Temple.

||En` rap`port" (äN` r`pôr") [F.], in accord, harmony, or sympathy; ||having a mutual, especially a private, understanding; in mesmerism, ||in that relation of sympathy which permits influence or ||communication.

Rap*scal"lion (rp*skl"yn), n. [See Rascallion.] A rascal; a good- for-nothing fellow. [Colloq.] Howitt.

Rapt (rpt), imp. & p. p. of Rap, to snatch away.

Rapt, a. 1. Snatched away; hurried away or along.

Waters rapt with whirling away.

Spenser.

2. Transported with love, admiration, delight, etc.; enraptured. "The rapt musician." Longfellow.

3. Wholly absorbed or engrossed, as in work or meditation. "Rapt in secret studies." Shak.

Rapt, n. [From F. rapt abduction, rape, L. raptus, fr. rapere to seize and carry off, to transport; or fr. E. rapt, a. See Rapt, a., and Rapid.] 1. An ecstasy; a trance. [Obs.] Bp. Morton.

2. Rapidity. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Rapt, v. t. 1. To transport or ravish. [Obs.] Drayton.

2. To carry away by force. [Obs.] Daniel.

Rap"ter (rp"tr), n. A raptor. [Obs.] Drayton.

Rap"tor (rp"tr), n. [L. raptor, from rapere to ravish. See Rapid.] A ravisher; a plunderer. [Obs.]

||Rap*to"res (rp*t"rz), n. pl. [NL. See Raptor.] (Zoöl.) Same as ||Accipitres. Called also Raptatores.

Rap*to"ri*al (-r*al), a. (Zoöl.) (a) Rapacious; living upon prey; -- said especially of certain birds. (b) Adapted for seizing prey; -- said of the legs, claws, etc., of insects, birds, and other animals. (c) Of or pertaining to the Raptores. See Illust. (f) of Aves.

Rap*to"ri*ous (-s), a. [L. raptorius.] (Zoöl.) Raptorial.

Rap"ture (rp"tr; 135), n. [L. rapere, raptum, to carry off by force. See Rapid.] 1. A seizing by violence; a hurrying along; rapidity with violence. [Obs.]

That 'gainst a rock, or flat, her keel did dash With headlong rapture.

Chapman.

2. The state or condition of being rapt, or carried away from one's self by agreeable excitement; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure; ecstasy.

Music, when thus applied, raises in the mind of the hearer great conceptions; it strengthens devotion, and advances praise into rapture.

Addison.

You grow correct that once with rapture writ.

Pope.

3. A spasm; a fit; a syncope; delirium. [Obs.] Shak.

Syn. -- Bliss; ecstasy; transport; delight; exultation.

Rap"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raptured (-trd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. Rapturing.] To transport with excitement; to enrapture. [Poetic] Thomson.

Rap"tur*ist, n. An enthusiast. [Obs.] J. Spencer.

Rap"tur*ize (-z), v. t. & i. To put, or be put, in a state of rapture. [R.]

Rap"tur*ous (-s), a. Ecstatic; transporting; ravishing; feeling, expressing, or manifesting rapture; as, rapturous joy, pleasure, or delight; rapturous applause.

Rap"tur*ous*ly, adv. In a rapturous manner.

Rare (râr), a. [Cf. Rather, Rath.] Early. [Obs.]

Rude mechanicals that rare and late Work in the market place.

Chapman.

Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer (râr"r); superl. Rarest.] [Cf. AS. hrr, or E. rare early. √18.] Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton.

New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare.

Dryden.

This word is in common use in the United States, but in England its synonym underdone is preferred.

Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer (râr"r); superl. Rarest.] [F., fr. L. rarus thin, rare.] 1. Not frequent; seldom met with or occurring; unusual; as, a rare event.

2. Of an uncommon nature; unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.

Rare work, all filled with terror and delight.

Cowley.

Above the rest I judge one beauty rare.

Dryden.

3. Thinly scattered; dispersed.

Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.

Milton.

4. Characterized by wide separation of parts; of loose texture; not thick or dense; thin; as, a rare atmosphere at high elevations.

Water is nineteen times lighter, and by consequence nineteen times rarer, than gold.

Sir I. Newton.

Syn. -- Scarce; infrequent; unusual; uncommon; singular; extraordinary; incomparable. -- Rare, Scarce. We call a thing rare when but few examples, specimens, or instances of it are ever to be met with; as, a rare plant. We speak of a thing as scarce, which, though usually abundant, is for the time being to be had only in diminished quantities; as, a bad harvest makes corn scarce.

A perfect union of wit and judgment is one of the rarest things in the world.

Burke.

When any particular piece of money grew very scarce, it was often recoined by a succeeding emperor.

Addison.

Rare"bit (râr"bt), n. A dainty morsel; a Welsh rabbit. See Welsh rabbit, under Rabbit.

Rar"ee-show` (râr"-sh`), n. [Contr. fr. rarity-show.] A show carried about in a box; a peep show. Pope.

Rar`e*fac"tion (rr`*fk"shn), n. [Cf. F. raréfaction. See Rarefy.] The act or process of rarefying; the state of being rarefied; -- opposed to condensation; as, the rarefaction of air.

Rar"e*fi`a*ble (rr"*f`*b'l), a. [Cf. F. raréfiable.] Capable of being rarefied. Boyle.

Rar"e*fy (rr"*f; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rarefied (- fd); p. pr. & vb. n. Rarefying (- f`ng).] [F. raréfier; L. rarus rare + -ficare (in comp.) to make; cf. L. rarefacere. See -fy.] To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; -- opposed to condense.

Rar"e*fy, v. i. To become less dense; to become thin and porous. "Earth rarefies to dew." Dryden.

Rare"ly (râr"l), adv. 1. In a rare manner or degree; seldom; not often; as, things rarely seen.

2. Finely; excellently; with rare skill. See 3d Rare, 2.

The person who played so rarely on the flageolet.

Sir W. Scott.

The rest of the apartments are rarely gilded.

Evelyn.

Rare"ness, n. The state or quality of being rare.

And let the rareness the small gift commend.

Dryden.

Rare"ripe` (-rp`), a. [Rare early + ripe. Cf. Rathripe.] Early ripe; ripe before others, or before the usual season.

Rare"ripe`, n. An early ripening fruit, especially a kind of freestone peach.

Rar`i*fi*ca"tion (rr`*f*k"shn), n. See Rarefaction. [R.] Am. Chem. Journal.

Rar"i*ty (rr"*t; 277), n.; pl. Rarities (- tz). [L. raritas: cf. F. rareté. See Rare.] 1. The quality or state of being rare; rareness; thinness; as, the rarity (contrasted with the density) of gases.

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2. That which is rare; an uncommon thing; a thing valued for its scarcity.

I saw three rarities of different kinds, which pleased me more than any other shows in the place.

Addison.

Ras (räs), n. See 2d Reis.

||Ra`sante" (r`zäNt"), a. [F., p. pr. of raser to graze.] (Fort.) ||Sweeping; grazing; -- applied to a style of fortification in which ||the command of the works over each other, and over the country, is ||kept very low, in order that the shot may more effectually sweep or ||graze the ground before them. H. L. Scott.

Ras"cal (rs"kal), n. [OE. rascaille rabble, probably from an OF. racaille, F. racaille the rabble, rubbish, probably akin to F. racler to scrape, (assumed) LL. rasiculare, rasicare, fr. L. radere, rasum. See Rase, v.]

1. One of the rabble; a low, common sort of person or creature; collectively, the rabble; the common herd; also, a lean, ill-conditioned beast, esp. a deer. [Obs.]

He smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the rascal.

Wyclif (1 Kings [1 Samuel] vi. 19).

Poor men alone? No, no; the noblest deer hath them [horns] as huge as the rascal.

Shak.

2. A mean, trickish fellow; a base, dishonest person; a rogue; a scoundrel; a trickster.

For I have sense to serve my turn in store, And he's a rascal who pretends to more.

Dryden.

Ras"cal, a. Of or pertaining to the common herd or common people; low; mean; base. "The rascal many." Spenser. "The rascal people." Shak.

While she called me rascal fiddler.

Shak.

Ras"cal*dom (-dm), n. State of being a rascal; rascality; domain of rascals; rascals, collectively. Emerson.

Ras"cal*ess, n. A female rascal. [Humorous]

Ras*cal"i*ty (rs*kl"*t), n.; pl. Rascalities (- tz).

1. The quality or state of being rascally, or a rascal; mean trickishness or dishonesty; base fraud.

2. The poorer and lower classes of people. [Obs.]

The chief heads of their clans with their several rascalities.

T. Jackson.

Ras*cal"lion (rs*kl"yn), n. [From Rascal.] A low, mean wretch. [Written also rascalion.]

Ras"cal*ly (rs"kal*l), a. Like a rascal; trickish or dishonest; base; worthless; -- often in humorous disparagement, without implication of dishonesty.

Our rascally porter is fallen fast asleep.

Swift.