Ra*du"li*form (r*d"l*fôrm), a. [L. radula a scraper + -form.] Rasplike; as, raduliform teeth.

Raff (rf), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raffed (rft); p. pr. & vb. n. Raffing.] [OF. raffer, of German origin; cf. G. raffen; akin to E. rap to snatch. See Rap, and cf. Riffraff, Rip to tear.] To sweep, snatch, draw, or huddle together; to take by a promiscuous sweep. [Obs.]

Causes and effects which I thus raff up together.

Carew.

Raff, n. 1. A promiscuous heap; a jumble; a large quantity; lumber; refuse. "A raff of errors." Barrow.

2. The sweepings of society; the rabble; the mob; -- chiefly used in the compound or duplicate, riffraff.

3. A low fellow; a churl.

Raff merchant, a dealer in lumber and odd refuse. [Prov. Eng.]

Raf`fa*el*esque" (rf`f*l*sk"), a. Raphaelesque.

Raf"fi*a (rf"f*), n. (Bot.) A fibrous material used for tying plants, said to come from the leaves of a palm tree of the genus Raphia. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

Raf"fi*nose` (rf"f*ns`), n. [F. raffiner to refine.] (Chem.) A colorless crystalline slightly sweet substance obtained from the molasses of the sugar beet.

Raff"ish (rf"sh), a. Resembling, or having the character of, raff, or a raff; worthless; low.

A sad, raffish, disreputable character.

Thackeray.

Raf"fle (rf"f'l), n. [F. rafle; faire rafle to sweep stakes, fr. rafler to carry or sweep away, rafler tout to sweep stakes; of German origin; cf. G. raffeln to snatch up, to rake. See Raff, v.] 1. A kind of lottery, in which several persons pay, in shares, the value of something put up as a stake, and then determine by chance (as by casting dice) which one of them shall become the sole possessor.

2. A game of dice in which he who threw three alike won all the stakes. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

Raf"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raffled (-f'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Raffling (-flng).] To engage in a raffle; as, to raffle for a watch.

Raf"fle, v. t. To dispose of by means of a raffle; -- often followed by off; as, to raffle off a horse.

Raf"fler (rf"flr), n. One who raffles.

||Raf*fle"si*a (rf*fl"zh*), n. [NL. Named from its discoverer, Sir S. ||Raffles.] (Bot.) A genus of stemless, leafless plants, living ||parasitically upon the roots and stems of grapevines in Malaysia. The ||flowers have a carrionlike odor, and are very large, in one species ||(Rafflesia Arnoldi) having a diameter of two or three feet.

Raft (rft), obs. imp. & p. p. of Reave. Spenser.

Raft, n. [Originally, a rafter, spar, and fr. Icel. raptr a rafter; akin to Dan. raft, Prov. G. raff a rafter, spar; cf. OHG. rfo, rvo, a beam, rafter, Icel. rf roof. Cf. Rafter, n.] 1. A collection of logs, boards, pieces of timber, or the like, fastened together, either for their own collective conveyance on the water, or to serve as a support in conveying other things; a float.

2. A collection of logs, fallen trees, etc. (such as is formed in some Western rivers of the United States), which obstructs navigation. [U.S.]

3. [Perhaps akin to raff a heap.] A large collection of people or things taken indiscriminately. [Slang, U. S.] "A whole raft of folks." W. D. Howells.

Raft bridge. (a) A bridge whose points of support are rafts. (b) A bridge that consists of floating timbers fastened together. -- Raft duck. [The name alludes to its swimming in dense flocks.] (Zoöl.) (a) The bluebill, or greater scaup duck; -- called also flock duck. See Scaup. (b) The redhead. -- Raft port (Naut.), a large, square port in a vessel's side for loading or unloading timber or other bulky articles; a timber or lumber port.

Raft, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rafted; p. pr. & vb. n. Rafting.] To transport on a raft, or in the form of a raft; to make into a raft; as, to raft timber.

Raf"te (rf"te), obs. imp. of Reave. Chaucer.

Raft"er (rft"r), n. A raftsman.

Raft"er, n. [AS. ræfter; akin to E. raft, n. See Raft.] (Arch.) Originally, any rough and somewhat heavy piece of timber. Now, commonly, one of the timbers of a roof which are put on sloping, according to the inclination of the roof. See Illust. of Queen-post.

[Courtesy] oft is sooner found in lowly sheds, With smoky rafters, than in tapestry halls.

Milton.

Raft"er, v. t. 1. To make into rafters, as timber.

2. To furnish with rafters, as a house.

3. (Agric.) To plow so as to turn the grass side of each furrow upon an unplowed ridge; to ridge. [Eng.]

Raft"ing, n. The business of making or managing rafts.

Rafts"man (rfts"man), n.; pl. Raftsmen (-men). A man engaged in rafting.

Raf"ty (rf"t), a. [Perhaps akin to G. reif hoarfrost.] Damp; musty. [Prov. Eng.]

Rag (rg), v. t. [Cf. Icel. rægja to calumniate, OHG. ruogen to accuse, G. rügen to censure, AS. wrgan, Goth. wrhjan to accuse.] To scold or rail at; to rate; to tease; to torment; to banter. [Prov. Eng.] Pegge.

Rag, n. [OE. ragge, probably of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. rögg a tuft, shagginess, Sw. ragg rough hair. Cf. Rug, n.] 1. A piece of cloth torn off; a tattered piece of cloth; a shred; a tatter; a fragment.

Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed. And fluttered into rags.

Milton.

Not having otherwise any rag of legality to cover the shame of their cruelty.

Fuller.

2. pl. Hence, mean or tattered attire; worn-out dress.

And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.

Dryden.

3. A shabby, beggarly fellow; a ragamuffin.

The other zealous rag is the compositor.

B. Jonson.

Upon the proclamation, they all came in, both tag and rag.

Spenser.

4. (Geol.) A coarse kind of rock, somewhat cellular in texture.

5. (Metal Working) A ragged edge.

6. A sail, or any piece of canvas. [Nautical Slang]

Our ship was a clipper with every rag set.

Lowell.

Rag bolt, an iron pin with barbs on its shank to retain it in place. -- Rag carpet, a carpet of which the weft consists of narrow strips of cloth sewed together, end to end. -- Rag dust, fine particles of ground-up rags, used in making papier-maché and wall papers. -- Rag wheel. (a) A chain wheel; a sprocket wheel. (b) A polishing wheel made of disks of cloth clamped together on a mandrel. -- Rag wool, wool obtained by tearing woolen rags into fine bits; shoddy.

Rag (rg), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ragged (rgd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ragging (-gng).] To become tattered. [Obs.]

Rag, v. t. 1. To break (ore) into lumps for sorting.

2. To cut or dress roughly, as a grindstone.

{ Rag"a*bash` (-*bsh`), Rag"a*brash` (-brsh`), } n. An idle, ragged person. Nares. Grose.

Rag`a*muf"fin (-mf"fn), n. [Cf. Ragamofin, the name of a demon in some of the old mysteries.] 1. A paltry or disreputable fellow; a mean wretch. Dryden.

2. A person who wears ragged clothing. [Colloq.]

3. (Zoöl.) The long-tailed titmouse. [Prov. Eng.]

Rage (rj), n. [F., fr. L. rabies, fr. rabere to rave; cf. Skr. rabh to seize, rabhas violence. Cf. Rabid, Rabies, Rave.] 1. Violent excitement; eager passion; extreme vehemence of desire, emotion, or suffering, mastering the will. "In great rage of pain." Bacon.

He appeased the rage of hunger with some scraps of broken meat.

Macaulay.

Convulsed with a rage of grief.

Hawthorne.

2. Especially, anger accompanied with raving; overmastering wrath; violent anger; fury.

Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.

Milton.

3. A violent or raging wind. [Obs.] Chaucer.

4. The subject of eager desire; that which is sought after, or prosecuted, with unreasonable or excessive passion; as, to be all the rage.

Syn. -- Anger; vehemence; excitement; passion; fury. See Anger.

Rage, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Raged (rjd); p. pr. & vb. n. Raging (r"jng).] [OF. ragier. See Rage, n.]

1. To be furious with anger; to be exasperated to fury; to be violently agitated with passion. "Whereat he inly raged." Milton.

When one so great begins to rage, he is hunted Even to falling.

Shak.

2. To be violent and tumultuous; to be violently driven or agitated; to act or move furiously; as, the raging sea or winds.

Why do the heathen rage?

Ps. ii. 1.

The madding wheels Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise.

Milton.

3. To ravage; to prevail without restraint, or with destruction or fatal effect; as, the plague raged in Cairo.

4. To toy or act wantonly; to sport. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Syn. -- To storm; fret; chafe; fume.

Rage, v. t. To enrage. [Obs.] Shak.

Rage"ful (-fl), a. Full of rage; expressing rage. [Obs.] "Rageful eyes." Sir P. Sidney.

Ra"ger*y (r"jr*), n. Wantonness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Rag"ged (rg"gd), a. [From Rag, n.] 1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken; as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail.

2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks.

3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. [R.] "A ragged noise of mirth." Herbert.

4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.

5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.

What shepherd owns those ragged sheep?

Dryden.

Ragged lady (Bot.), the fennel flower (Nigella Damascena). -- Ragged robin (Bot.), a plant of the genus Lychnis (L. Flos- cuculi), cultivated for its handsome flowers, which have the petals cut into narrow lobes. -- Ragged sailor (Bot.), prince's feather (Polygonum orientale). -- Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; -- a name given at first because they came in their common clothing. [Eng.]