rack
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæk/
rhymes: -æk
homophone: wrack
Forms: form: racks
Etymology: From Middle English rakke, rekke, from Middle Dutch rac, recke, rec (Dutch rek), see rekken.
Senses: glosses: A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other
synonyms: luggage rack
glosses: Any of various kinds of frame for holding luggage or other objects on a vehicle or vessel.
examples: text: Ay, but I fear you speak upon the rack, / Where men enforced do speak anything.
ref: c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
text: During the troubles of the fifteenth century, a rack was introduced into the Tower, and was occasionally used under the plea of political necessity.
ref: 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
glosses: A device, incorporating a ratchet, used to torture victims by stretching them beyond their natural limits.
topics: nautical
transport
synonyms: rack block
glosses: A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes.
examples: text: Chief Stevens approached my rack and repeatedly ordered me to vacate my rack and report to the working party.
ref: 2008, Byron L. Smith, Prescription Music, →ISBN, page 33:
text: By the time I had unpacked my sea bag, made my rack, and finished a good long hot shower, it was late in the evening.
ref: 2010, Herb Brewer, Chronicles of a Marine Rifleman: Vietnam, 1965-1966, →ISBN, page 171:
text: I took off my helmet, sat it gently down at the head of my rack on the wooden deck, plopped my butt down on my rack again, and began taking off my stateside assbusting boots.
ref: 2016, Cpl. Osborn R. E, Like Killing Rats, →ISBN:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A bunk.
examples: text: Do I have to do this now? Like, I really need to get some rack.
ref: 2009 December 18, 1:00:07 from the start, in Avatar, spoken by Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), 20th Century Fox:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Sleep.
glosses: A distaff.
examples: text: Just beyond that station the first step is encountered and the rack resorted to, taking the line on a gradient of 1 in 9 over a steeply inclined bridge and through a spiral tunnel.
ref: 1950 November, H. P. White, “The Furka-Oberalp Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 767:
text: The ladder-type Riggenbach rack is the one in use on both systems.
ref: 1960 December, 'Voyageur', “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 750:
topics: engineering
mechanical
mechanical-engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A bar with teeth on its face or edge, to work with those of a gearwheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive or be driven by it.
topics: engineering
mechanical
mechanical-engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A bar with teeth on its face or edge, to work with a pawl as a ratchet allowing movement in one direction only, used for example in a handbrake or crossbow.
glosses: A cranequin, a mechanism including a rack, pinion and pawl, providing both mechanical advantage and a ratchet, used to bend and cock a crossbow.
glosses: A set of antlers (as on deer, moose or elk).
examples: text: I bought a rack of lamb at the butcher's yesterday.
glosses: A cut of meat involving several adjacent ribs.
examples: text: The Par quadratum […] Their Use is to bend the Racks of the Loins with a right Motion forward or downward, but when one only acts, it draws the Loins to one Side somewhat downwards.
ref: 1722, William Gibson, The Farrier's New Guide, page 65:
text: Racks, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers.
ref: 1873, Slang Dictionary, John Camden Hotten:
glosses: A bone of a horse.
topics: ball-games
billiards
games
hobbies
lifestyle
snooker
sports
glosses: A hollow triangle used for aligning the balls at the start of a game.
topics: gambling
games
glosses: A plastic tray used for holding and moving chips.
synonyms: word: assets
word: babylons
word: balloons
word: baps
word: badonkers
word: bangers
word: bazongas
word: bazookas
word: bazoombas
word: bazooms
word: bewbs
word: bobas
word: booba
word: boobage
word: boobs
word: boobers
word: boobies
word: boosies
word: bosom
word: breast [⇒ thesaurus]s
word: breasticles
word: bristols
word: bubby
word: bubs
word: bust
word: calcium cannons
word: cans
word: cantaloupes
word: casabas
word: charlies
word: chebs
word: chesticles
word: chest melons
word: chichis
word: coconuts
word: diddy
word: ding-dongs
word: dirty pillows
word: double Ds
word: dugs
word: frontage
word: front bumpers
word: funbags
word: gazongas
word: girls
word: globes
word: grapefruits
word: headlights
word: honkers
word: hooters
word: itty-bittys
word: jahoobies
word: jigglies
word: jubblies
word: jugs
word: knockers
word: lady lumps
word: love pillows
word: mammaries
word: mammary glands
word: mammas
word: maracas
word: megaboobs
word: melons
word: milkbags
word: milk jugs
word: milkers
word: mommy milkers
word: money makers
word: mountain [⇒ thesaurus]s
word: norks
word: paps
word: pair
word: personality
word: puppies
word: rack
word: sweater puppies
word: tatas
word: teats
word: tiddies
word: tits
word: titters
word: titties
word: threepenny bits
word: top bollocks
word: torpedos
word: twin peaks
word: twins
word: udders
word: waps
word: watermelons
word: yabos
word: zoomers
glosses: A woman's breasts.
examples: text: rappel rack
text: abseil rack
topics: caving
climbing
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A friction device for abseiling, consisting of a frame with five or more metal bars, around which the rope is threaded.
examples: text: I used almost a full rack on the second pitch.
topics: climbing
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A climber's set of equipment for setting up protection and belays, consisting of runners, slings, carabiners, nuts, Friends, etc.
glosses: A grate on which bacon is laid.
topics: algebra
mathematics
sciences
glosses: A set with a distributive binary operation whose result is unique.
glosses: A thousand dollars, especially if the proceeds are from a crime.
Derived terms: at rack and manger
autorack
barbell rack
bicycle rack
bike rack
bomb rack
buy the rack
cheese rack
clothes rack
coat-rack
coat rack
cycle rack
dish rack
drying rack
gunrack
hat rack
hat-rack
hitch rack
hit the rack
live at rack and manger
luggage rack
meat rack
nerve-rack
nerve rack
off-the-rack
out of rack
pipe rack
power rack
rack and pinion
rack and snail
rack jobber
rack-mountable
rack-mounted
rack railway
rack rate
rack rent
rack-rent
rack-renter
rack time
rack unit
rape rack
rib-rack
roof rack
segment rack
spice rack
squat rack
toast rack
trash rack
weight rack
wine rack