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Race

//ɹeɪs// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
A surname.

Noun

1
A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective. countable, uncountable
"Several horses ran in a horse race: the first one to reach the finishing post won."
2
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race):; A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage. countable, uncountable
"The Canadian race is one of the most vigorous on the globe."
3
A rhizome or root, especially of ginger.
"I must have saffron to color the warden pies; mace; dates, none—that's out of my note; nutmegs, seven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pounds of prunes, and as many of raisins o' th' sun."
4
a canal for a current of water wordnet
5
Swift progress; rapid motion; an instance of moving or driving at high speed. countable, uncountable
"The flight of many birds is swifter than the race of any beasts."

Show 28 more definitions

6
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race):; A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of common physical characteristics, such as skin color or hair type. countable, uncountable
"Race was a significant issue during apartheid in South Africa."
7
a contest of speed wordnet
8
A race condition; a bug or problem that occurs when two or more components attempt to use the same resource at the same time. countable, uncountable
"Many problems of oscillations and races are solved by this arrangement."
9
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race):; A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of shared characteristics or qualities, for example social qualities. countable, uncountable
"The advent of the Internet has brought about a new race of entrepreneur."
10
any competition wordnet
11
A sequence of events; a progressive movement toward a goal. countable, uncountable
"A race of wicked acts / Shall flow out of my anger, and o’erspread / The world’s wide face[.]"
12
A group of sentient beings, particularly people, distinguished by common ancestry, heritage or characteristics (see Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race):; A large group of nonhumans distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage. countable, uncountable
"A treaty was concluded between the race of elves and the race of men."
13
people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock wordnet
14
A fast-moving current of water. countable, uncountable
"Here are in these seas two dangerous races, the one called St. Alban's, the other Portland Race."
15
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species countable, uncountable
"[I]nnumerable popingayes of ſundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of thoſe fenny places. […] For in the raſe of this large lande, Colonus [Christopher Columbus] him ſelfe brought and ſent to the courte a greate number of euery kynde, the which it was lawfull for all the people to beholde, and are yet dayly browght in like manner."
16
(biology) a taxonomic group that is a division of a species; usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species wordnet
17
A water channel, especially one built to lead water to or from a point where it is utilised, such as that which powers a millwheel. countable, uncountable
"Evidently the future manufacturing development depends upon the hydraulic canal, so far as existing works are concerned, rather than upon the two races, which can never be enlarged to embrace a comprehensive improvement of the river, while the capabilities at the hydraulic basin are unrivaled. So far as can be learned there is no expectation of ever increasing materially the capacity of the races."
18
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species:; A population geographically separated from others of its species that develops significantly different characteristics; a mating group. countable, uncountable
"Two races are certainly valid. The Atlantic race (P. v. vitulina) is distinguishable from the Pacific race (P. v. richardi Gray, 1864) by skull characters."
19
the flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller wordnet
20
A path that something or someone moves along. countable, uncountable
"My race of glory run, and race of ſhame,"
21
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species:; A strain of plant with characteristics causing it to differ from other plants of the same species. countable, uncountable
"Nevertheless, as our varieties certainly do occasionally revert in some of their characters to ancestral forms, it seems to me not improbable, that if we could succeed in naturalising, or were to cultivate, during many generations, the several races, for instance, of the cabbage, in very poor soil (in which case, however, some effect would have to be attributed to the direct action of the poor soil), that they would to a large extent, or even wholly, revert to the wild aboriginal stock."
22
A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along:; A groove on a sewing machine or a loom along which the shuttle moves. countable, uncountable
"I have lately seen a shuttle machine of Messrs. Grover Baker's construction, in which the shuttle worked in a semi-circular race and produced two stitches at each revolution of the wheel."
23
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species:; A breed or strain of domesticated animal. countable, uncountable
"For do but note a wild and wanton herd, / Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, / Fetching mad bounds."
24
A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along:; A ring with a groove in which rolling elements (such as balls) ride, forming part of a rolling-element bearing (for example, a ball bearing). countable, uncountable
"These bearings do not employ a loading groove or filling slot but utilize an uninterrupted race groove containing the maximum number of balls that can be introduced by eccentric displacement of the races. Due to the relatively large size of the balls and the fact that the ball curvature is only slightly less than the race curvature, the bearings have comparatively high load carrying capacity in both axial and radial directions."
25
A group of organisms distinguished by common characteristics; often an informal infraspecific rank in taxonomy, below species:; A strain of microorganism, fungi, etc. countable, uncountable
"Now Mary MacDonald of the Plant Breeding Institute at Maris Lane, Cambridge, has made an interesting study which has duplicated the conditions under which new races arise. And she has produced at least one new fungal race."
26
A keno gambling session. countable, uncountable
"Your odds are sometimes significantly better with video keno […] But because video keno plays so much faster, you're likely to lose more money over a given period. Live keno races start every 10 minutes, but you can make 100 bets on a video version in the same amount of time."
27
A category or kind of thing distinguished by common characteristics. broadly, countable, uncountable
"You do not tell me her diſeaſe; and perhaps have not been able yourself fully to underſtand it. I hope it is not of the cephalic race."
28
Peculiar flavour, taste, or strength, as of wine; that quality, or assemblage of qualities, which indicates origin or kind, as in wine; hence, characteristic flavour. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Is it [the wine] of the right race?"
29
Characteristic quality or disposition. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And now I give my sensual race the rein."
30
The sexual activity of conceiving and bearing biological offspring. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"It behooveth therefore that the Mares appointed for race, be well compacted, of a decent quality, being fair and beautiful to look upon, the belly and loins being great, in age not under three nor above ten years old."
31
Ancestry, lineage. archaic, uncountable
"Yes, madam, believe it, she is a gentlewoman of very absolute behaviour, and of a good race."
32
A step in a lineage or succession; a generation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"In ſeveral orders of knighthood, as in that of Malta, &c. the candidates muſt prove a nobility of four races or deſcents."
33
Progeny, offspring, descendants. obsolete, uncountable
"Have I my pillow left unpressed in Rome, / Forborne the getting of a lawful race, / And by a gem of women, to be abused / By one that looks on feeders?"

Verb

1
To take part in a race (in the sense of a contest). intransitive
"The drivers were racing around the track."
2
To assign a race to; to perceive as having a (usually specified) race.
"To be raced as black in the U.S. translates symbolically into being considered inferior to whites, lazy, immoral, boisterous, violent, and sexually promiscuous."
3
To sharpen (a grindstone) by scraping its surface. archaic, transitive
"Another source of dust arises from the "hanging" and "racing" of the grindstones. […] This is effected by holding a bar of steel against it whilst it is slowly turned, and is known as "racing" the stone."
4
To pluck or snatch (something); also, to pull (something). obsolete, transitive
"[H]e be-heilde towarde the fier, and saugh the flesshe that the knaue hadde rosted that was tho I-nough, and raced it of with his hondes madly, and rente it a-sonder in peces, and wette it in mylke, and after in the hony, and ete as a wood man that nought ther lefte of the flessh; […]"
5
compete in a race wordnet

Show 14 more definitions

6
To compete against in a race (contest). transitive
"I raced him to the car, but he was there first, so he got to ride shotgun."
7
To pass down certain phenotypic traits to offspring. obsolete
"D'Hervieux obſerves that it is uſual to put the female canary bird to the male goldfinch, linnet, or the like, to breed; but for his part, he ſhould chuſe to put the male canary-bird to the female goldfinch, linnet, &c. becauſe the male uſually races more than the female, i. e. the young ones take more after the male than after the female."
8
Alternative spelling of raze.; To cut, scratch, or tear (someone or something) with a sharp object; to lacerate, to slash; specifically (nautical), to make marks on (something, such as a piece of wood) using a race knife. West-Country, transitive
"Buckles and agglettes at vnwares, ſhall race his bowe, a thinge both euill for the fight, ⁊ perillous for freatinge."
9
move hurridly wordnet
10
To move or drive at high speed; to hurry or speed. intransitive
"As soon as it was time to go home, he raced for the door."
11
Alternative spelling of raze.; To physically destroy; to obliterate:; To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish. obsolete, transitive
"For his further ſecuritie he [Don Roderigo] diſarmed his ſubjects; ſuch Caſtles and ſtrengths as hee vvas jealous of vvere raced, […]"
12
cause to move fast or to rush or race wordnet
13
To run rapidly when not engaged to a transmission. intransitive
""My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces because it is not connected up with the work for which it was built.""
14
Alternative spelling of raze.; To physically destroy; to obliterate:; To make (a path or way) through something by cutting or tearing. obsolete, rare, transitive
"[T]he king purſude / And furrovved through the thickned troopes. As vvhen tvvo chaced Bores / Turne head gainſt kennels of bold hounds, and race vvay through their gores: […]"
15
to work as fast as possible towards a goal, sometimes in competition with others wordnet
16
Alternative spelling of raze.; To physically destroy; to obliterate:; To make a cut or slash in (an item of clothing or footwear) as a decoration. obsolete, transitive
"Item an old white sattin dublett laced all over with a small silver lace in a worke raced and cutt betweene"
17
Alternative spelling of raze.; To erase; to delete; to edit:; To alter (a document) by erasing parts of it. obsolete, transitive
"This indenture is raced all the worlde may ſe it: Ceſte indenture eſt faulcée tout le monde le peult veoyr."
18
Alternative spelling of raze.; To erase; to delete; to edit:; To erase (a record, text, etc.), originally by scraping; to rub out, to scratch out. also, figuratively, obsolete, transitive
"The wound alas happe in some other place, / From whence no toole away the skar can race."
19
Alternative spelling of raze.; To erase; to delete; to edit:; To completely remove (someone or something), especially from a place, a situation, etc.; also, to remove from existence; to destroy, to obliterate. figuratively, obsolete, transitive
"VVithout reſpect of ſex, degree or age. / He raceth all his foes vvith fire and ſvvord."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s- (“to flow, rush”). Cognate with Middle Low German râs ("a strong current"; whence German Low German Raas (“mad rush, rage, fury”)), Dutch ras (“a strong whirling current”), Danish ræs, Norwegian and Swedish ras, Norwegian rås.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

1560s, via Middle French race from Italian razza (early 14th century), of uncertain origin. Partially displaced native Middle English kinde (“kind, type, sort, race, nature”), whence English kind. theories * Diez and some other scholars suggest derivation from Proto-Germanic *raitō (whence Old High German reiza (“line”) and Old Norse ríta (“to score, log, outline”)), perhaps via Lombardic *raiza (“line”), which Körting notes is a literal rendering of Latin linea sanguinis (“bloodline of descent”). Anatoly Liberman says "the semantic fit is good" but the chronology falters; he says the Germanic word went out of use before the Italian word arose, and he says the intermediary is not attested. * Some scholars suggest derivation from Old Spanish raza, rasa, from earlier ras, res (“head of cattle”), from Arabic رَأْس (raʔs, “head”), but Italian razza predates the Spanish word according to Diez and Meyer-Lübke. * Meyer-Lübke suggested Latin generatio as the root; Körting says "the disappearance of two initial syllables hardly seems credible", but Meyer-Lübke notes the Venetian form narazza and the Old Bellunesian form naraccia, positing that after the first syllable ge- was lost, the remaining (una) narazza came to be reanalysed as una razza. * Gianfranco Contini suggests the Italian word comes from Old French haraz (“troop of horses”), whence Modern French haras (“breeding farm for horses; stud farm”), from Old Norse hárr (“grey-haired; hoary”). Liberman considers this derivation the most likely. * Other suggested Latin etyma: ** radius (perhaps via Vulgar Latin *radia) (per Baist). ** radix (“root”) (per Ulrich); Liberman says "the semantic match is excellent", and race (“rhizome of ginger”) (which definitely derives from radix) shows that the phonology is plausible. ** *raptiare (“breed falcons”) (per Körting). ** The nominative of ratio (perhaps via an unattested intermediate form *razzo), as opposed to ragione which derives from the accusative rationem. * Other implausible suggestions include Slavic raz and Basque arraca, supposedly meaning "stud animal" (Basque arrazza, "race", derives from Spanish).

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

Mid 16th century. From Middle French raïz, raiz, rais (“root”), from Latin radix (“root”), from Proto-Italic *wrādīks, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds.

Etymology 6

A variant of raze. From Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to rend; to cleave; etc”), from Anglo-Norman raser, rasere, rasser, Middle French raser, and Old French raser (“to shave; to demolish”), from Vulgar Latin *raso (“to shave; to scrape”), from Latin rāsus (“scraped; shaved”), the perfect passive participle of rādō (“to scrape, scratch”). Doublet of rash (etymology 2 and etymology 7).

Etymology 7

PIE word *wréh₂ds From Middle English racen, rasen (“to come apart; to pick clean, strip; to pull away, snatch; to pull down, knock down; to pull off, strip off; to pluck or tear out; to tear apart”), either: * an aphetic form of arasen, aracen (“to pluck, pull, or tear away or out”), from Anglo-Norman aracer and Old French aracier, esracier, esrachier (“to pull off”) (modern French arracher), from Latin ērādīcāre, the present active infinitive of ērādīcō (“to root out; to annihilate, extirpate”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + rādīx (“root”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation infinitives of verbs); or * from Anglo-Norman racer, an aphetic form of aracer (see above).

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