What does rack mean?

Definitions for rack
rækrack

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word rack.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. racknoun

    framework for holding objects

  2. racknoun

    rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton

  3. wrack, racknoun

    the destruction or collapse of something

    "wrack and ruin"

  4. rack, wheelnoun

    an instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims

  5. rack, standnoun

    a support for displaying various articles

    "the newspapers were arranged on a rack"

  6. racknoun

    a form of torture in which pain is inflicted by stretching the body

  7. rack, single-footverb

    a rapid gait of a horse in which each foot strikes the ground separately

  8. single-foot, rackverb

    go at a rack

    "the horses single-footed"

  9. rackverb

    stretch to the limits

    "rack one's brains"

  10. rackverb

    put on a rack and pinion

    "rack a camera"

  11. extort, squeeze, rack, gouge, wringverb

    obtain by coercion or intimidation

    "They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him"

  12. scud, rackverb

    run before a gale

  13. rackverb

    fly in high wind

  14. rackverb

    draw off from the lees

    "rack wine"

  15. torment, torture, excruciate, rackverb

    torment emotionally or mentally

  16. rackverb

    work on a rack

    "rack leather"

  17. rackverb

    seize together, as of parallel ropes of a tackle in order to prevent running through the block

  18. rackverb

    torture on the rack

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Racknoun

    Etymology: racke, Dutch, from racken, to stretch.

    Vex not his ghost; O let him pass! he hates him
    That would, upon the rack of this rough world,
    Stretch him out longer. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    Did ever any man upon the rack afflict himself, because he had received a cross answer from his mistress. Taylor.

    Let them feel the whip, the sword, the fire,
    And in the tortures of the rack expire. Addison.

    A fit of the stone puts a king to the rack, and makes him as miserable as it does the meanest subject. William Temple.

    A cool behaviour sets him on the rack, and is interpreted as an instance of aversion or indifference. Addison.

    These bows, being somewhat like the long bows in use amongst us, were bent only by a man’s immediate strength, without the help of any bender or rack that are used to others. John Wilkins, Mathematical Magick.

    The sisters turn the wheel,
    Empty the woolly rack, and fill the reel. Dryden.

    That, which is now a horse, even with a thought
    The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct
    As water is in water. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra.

    The great globe itself,
    Yea, all, which it inherit, shall dissolve;
    And, like this insubstantial pageant, faded,
    Leave not a rack behind. William Shakespeare, Tempest.

    We often see against some storm,
    A silence in the heav’ns, the rack stand still,
    The bold winds speechless, and the orb below
    As hush as death. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

    The winds in the upper region, which move the clouds above, which we call the rack, and are not perceived below, pass without noise. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

    As wint’ry winds contending in the sky,
    With equal force of lungs their titles try;
    They rage, they roar: the doubtful rack of heav’n
    Stands without motion, and the tide undriv’n. Dryden.

    Their bulls they send to pastures far,
    Or hills, or feed them at full racks within. Thomas May, Virgil.

    The best way to feed cattle with it, is to put it in racks, because of the great quantity they tread down. John Mortimer.

    He bid the nimble hours
    Bring forth the steeds; the nimble hours obey:
    From their full racks the gen’rous steeds retire. Addison.

  2. To Rackverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    Hold, O dreadful Sir,
    You will not rack an innocent old man. John Dryden.

    Th’ apostate angle, though in pain,
    Vaunting aloud, but rack’d with deep despair. John Milton.

    The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants, exacting of them, besides his covenants, what he pleaseth. Edmund Spenser.

    The commons hast thou rack’d; the clergy’s bags
    Are lank and lean with thy extortions. William Shakespeare.

    He took possession of his just estate,
    Nor rack’d his tenants with increase of rent. Dryden.

    They racking and stretching scripture further than by God was meant, are drawn into sundry inconveniencies. Richard Hooker.

    The wisest among the heathens racked their wits, and cast about every way, managing every little argument to the utmost advantage. John Tillotson, Sermons.

    Nor have I money nor commodity
    To raise a present sum;
    Try what my credit can in Venice do,
    That shall be rack’d even to the uttermost. William Shakespeare.

    It is common to draw wine or beer from the lees, which we call racking, whereby it will clarify much the sooner. Francis Bacon.

    Some roll their cask about the cellar to mix it with the lees, and, after a few days resettlement, rack it off. John Mortimer.

  3. To Rackverb

    To stream as clouds before the wind.

    Etymology: from the noun.

    Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun,
    Not separated with the racking clouds,
    But sever’d in a pale clear-shining sky. William Shakespeare.

Wikipedia

  1. rack

    Risk-aware consensual kink (RACK, also risk-accepted consensual kink) is an acronym used by some of the BDSM community to describe a philosophical view that is generally permissive of certain risky sexual behaviors, as long as the participants are fully aware of the risks. This is often viewed in contrast to safe, sane, and consensual which generally holds that only activities that are considered safe, sane, and consensual are permitted.

ChatGPT

  1. rack

    A rack is a structure or piece of equipment that has multiple levels, slots, or holders designed for holding, displaying or storing various items. It is often made from materials like metal, wood, or plastic and can be used in a variety of settings including homes, businesses, laboratories, or warehouses.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Racknoun

    same as Arrack

  2. Racknoun

    the neck and spine of a fore quarter of veal or mutton

  3. Racknoun

    a wreck; destruction

  4. Racknoun

    thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapor in the sky

  5. Rackverb

    to fly, as vapor or broken clouds

  6. Rack

    to amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace; -- said of a horse

  7. Racknoun

    a fast amble

  8. Rackverb

    to draw off from the lees or sediment, as wine

  9. Rackadjective

    an instrument or frame used for stretching, extending, retaining, or displaying, something

  10. Rackadjective

    an engine of torture, consisting of a large frame, upon which the body was gradually stretched until, sometimes, the joints were dislocated; -- formerly used judicially for extorting confessions from criminals or suspected persons

  11. Rackadjective

    an instrument for bending a bow

  12. Rackadjective

    a grate on which bacon is laid

  13. Rackadjective

    a frame or device of various construction for holding, and preventing the waste of, hay, grain, etc., supplied to beasts

  14. Rackadjective

    a frame on which articles are deposited for keeping or arranged for display; as, a clothes rack; a bottle rack, etc

  15. Rackadjective

    a piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes; -- called also rack block. Also, a frame to hold shot

  16. Rackadjective

    a frame or table on which ores are separated or washed

  17. Rackadjective

    a frame fitted to a wagon for carrying hay, straw, or grain on the stalk, or other bulky loads

  18. Rackadjective

    a distaff

  19. Rackadjective

    a bar with teeth on its face, or edge, to work with those of a wheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive it or be driven by it

  20. Rackadjective

    that which is extorted; exaction

  21. Rackverb

    to extend by the application of force; to stretch or strain; specifically, to stretch on the rack or wheel; to torture by an engine which strains the limbs and pulls the joints

  22. Rackverb

    to torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish

  23. Rackverb

    to stretch or strain, in a figurative sense; hence, to harass, or oppress by extortion

  24. Rackverb

    to wash on a rack, as metals or ore

  25. Rackverb

    to bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc

  26. Etymology: [See Wreck.]

Wikidata

  1. Rack

    A rack is the name given to a frame used to organize billiard balls at the beginning of a game. Rack may also be used as a verb to describe the act of setting billiard balls in starting position in billiards games that make use of racks, as well as a noun to describe the balls in that starting position. The most common shape of a physical rack is that of a triangle, with the ball pattern of 5-4-3-2-1. Racks are sometimes called simply "triangles" based on the predominance of this form. Triangular-shaped racks are used for eight-ball, straight pool, one-pocket, bank pool, snooker and many other games. Although diamond-shaped racks, with an intended pattern of 1-2-3-2-1, are made for the game of nine-ball, the triangular rack is more often employed in nine ball as well.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Rack

    rak, n. an instrument for racking or extending: an engine for stretching the body in order to extort a confession, hence (fig.) extreme pain, anxiety, or doubt: a framework on which articles are arranged, as hat-rack, plate-rack, letter-rack, &c.: the grating above a manger for hay: (mech.) a straight bar with teeth to work into those of a wheel, pinion, or endless screw, for converting a circular into a rectilinear motion, or vice versâ: (Scot.) the course in curling.—v.t. to stretch forcibly: to strain: to stretch on the rack or wheel: to torture: to exhaust: to worry, agitate: to wrest, overstrain: to practise rapacity: to extort: to place in a rack or frame: (naut.) to seize together with cross-turns, as two ropes.—n. Rack′er, one who tortures.—adj. Rack′ing, tormenting.—ns. Rack′-rail, a railway having cogs which work into similar cogs on a locomotive; Rack′-rent, an annual rent stretched to the utmost value of the thing rented, exorbitant rent.—v.t. to subject to such rents.—ns. Rack′-rent′er, one who exacts or pays rack-rent; Rack′-stick, a stick for stretching a rope; Rack′-tail, a bent arm in a repeating clock connected with the striking mechanism; Rack′work, a strong bar with cogs to correspond with similar cogs on a wheel, which either moves or is moved by the bar.—Live at rack and manger, to live sumptuously and wastefully; On the rack, stretched upon it: tortured by anxiety; Put to the rack, to put to the torture of the rack: to subject to keen suffering. [The radical sense is to stretch, closely allied to reach (q.v.); cf. Ice. rakkr, straight, Ger. rack, a rail, recken, to stretch.]

  2. Rack

    rak, n. same as Wrack=Wreck—now used only in the phrases Go to rack, Go to rack and ruin. [Cf. the next word.]

  3. Rack

    rak, n. thin or broken clouds drifting across the sky.—v.i. to drift, to drive. [Wrack; cf. Ice. rek.]

  4. Rack

    rak, v.t. to strain or draw off from the lees, as wine.—ns. Rack′ing-can, a vessel from which wine can be drawn without disturbing the lees; Rack′ing-cock, -fau′cet, a cock used in drawing off liquour from a cask; Rack′ing-pump, a pump for the transfer of liquor to casks. [O. Fr. raquer, vin raqué; prob. cog. with Sp. rascar, to scrape.]

  5. Rack

    rak, n. (prov.) the neck and spine of a fore-quarter of veal or mutton: the neck of mutton or pork.

  6. Rack

    rak, n. the gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop.—n. Rack′er, a horse that moves in this gait. [Perh. rack, to drift, or rock.]

  7. Rack

    rak, n. same as Arrack.—Rack punch, a punch made with arrack.

  8. Rack

    rak, n. a young rabbit. [Orig. unknown.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Rack

    an instrument of torture; consisted of an oblong wooden frame, fitted with cords and levers, by means of which the victim's limbs were racked to the point of dislocation; dates back to Roman times, and was used against the early Christians; much resorted to by the Spanish Inquisition, and also at times by the Tudor monarchs of England, though subsequently prohibited by law in England.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. rack

    The superior stratum of clouds, or that moving rapidly above the scud. The line in which the clouds are driven by the wind, is called the rack of the weather. In Shakspeare's beautiful thirty-third sonnet the sun rises in splendour, but-- "Anon permits the basest clouds to ride With ugly rack on his celestial face, And from the forlorn world his visage hide, Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace." Also, a frame of timber containing several sheaves, as a fair leader. Also, various rails for belaying pins.--To rack. To seize two ropes together, with racking or cross-turns.

Rap Dictionary

  1. rackverb

    To stack up. "18 hour day, money getting racked up" -- Slick Rick and Dana Dane (Pimpin' Ain't Easy (Godfather Theme)) Women's breasts To "rack a shotgun or 12 gauge" - to eject a spent cartridge from a shotgun and load the next

Suggested Resources

  1. RACK

    What does RACK stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the RACK acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Rack

    From the Saxon wrocan and German recken, to stretch. The word is therefore correctly applied to the instrument of torture of former days.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. RACK

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rack is ranked #31554 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Rack surname appeared 733 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Rack.

    93.3% or 684 total occurrences were White.
    3.8% or 28 total occurrences were Black.
    1.3% or 10 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    0.8% or 6 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.6% or 5 total occurrences were Asian.

How to pronounce rack?

How to say rack in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of rack in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of rack in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of rack in a Sentence

  1. Steve Schmidt:

    He lines up ideologically with the Republican Party today more than any other candidate and has the ability to rack up delegates throughout the South.

  2. Jesse Christenson:

    I initially thought it was a (tire) blow out. The duck boat then hit another car with a roof rack then went head on into the oncoming tour bus, the scene was pretty gruesome ... There were people in shock.

  3. Daniel Wetrin:

    Chairs were flying around, people were flying, bags, (it was) pretty chaotic, there were two people above our heads in the luggage rack.

  4. Passenger Daniel Wetrin:

    Chairs were flying around, people were flying, bags, pretty chaotic, there were two people above our heads in the luggage rack.

  5. Michelle Krebs:

    It will be especially challenging for Tesla as it desperately tries to rack up more quarterly profits after having one in the third quarter, and it faces an onslaught of competitors in the next couple of years.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for rack

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