rampler 
II. a. Roving; unsettled. Gait. [Scotch.] 
Kampoor chudder. A soft shawl of fine wool 
of the kind made at Rampoor in the Northwest 
Provinces, India. Such shawls are called in 
England and America simply rlnidiU'i: See 
chudder, 
rampostan, n. Same as rtimliiitini. 
ramps 1 (ramps), ti.pl. Same as ramsons. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
ramps 2 (ramps), n. Same as tampion. 
rampse (ramps), e. . ; pret. and pp. rampsed, 
ppr. rampsing. [Variant of ramp.] To climb. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
ranipsman (ramps'man), n. ; pi. rampsmen 
(-men). [Appar. < ramp + poss. gen. -8 + 
man. Cf. cracksman.] A highway robber who 
uses violence when necessary. The Slang Dic- 
tionary, p. 211. 
ram-riding (ram'ri"ding), . See the quota- 
tion. 
One summer evening, when the scandalised townsmen 
and their wedded wives assembled, and marched down to 
the cottage with intent to lead the woman in a Ram-rid- 
ing, i. e. in a shameful penitential procession through the 
streets, the sight of Kit playing in the garden, and his 
look of innocent delight as he ran in to call his mother out, 
took the courage out of them. 
The Speaker, April 19, 1800, I. 427. 
ramrod (ram'rod), n. [< ram 2 + rod.] A rod 
for ramming down the charge of a gun, pistol, 
or other firearm, especially for small hand-fire- 
arms. (Compare rammer.) Now that most small- 
arms load at the breech, ramrods are much less used than 
formerly. The ordinary ramrod for shot-guns, rifles, and 
the like was an unjointed wooden or iron rod, enlarged at 
the head or there fitted with a metal cap, and furnished 
at the other end with a screw or wormer for extracting a 
charge ; when not in use it was carried In thimbles on tin- 
under side of the barrel. 
ramrod-bayonet (ram'rod-ba/o-net), n. A steel 
rod one end of which is fitted for cleaning the 
bore of a rifle, while the other is pointed to serve 
as a bayonet : when intended for use as a wea- 
pon, the bayonet end is drawn a certain dis- 
tance beyond the muzzle, and is held by a 
catch. 
ramroddy (ram'rod-i), a. [< ramrod + -y 1 .] 
Like a ramrod ; stiff or unbending as a ramrod ; 
prim; formal ; obstinate. [Colloq.] 
The inevitable English nice middle-class tourist with his 
wife, the latter ramroddy and uncompromising. 
C. D. Warner, Their Pilgrimage, p. 60. 
Ramsden's eyepiece. See eyepiece. 
ramshackle 1 (ram'shak-1), a. and . [Also, as 
adj., ramshackled, Sc. ramshackled; < Icel. ram- 
Hkakkr, quite wrong, absurd (Cleasby and Vig- 
fusson); otherwise defined as "ramshackle, 
crazy"; < ramr, strong, very, as intensive pre- 
fix, very, + skakkr, wry, distorted, unequal, 
> Sc. shach, distort: see shach. The second 
element in the E. word is appar. conformed to 
shackle; cf. leel.skokull, Sw. skakel, Dan. skagle, 
the pole of a carriage that shakes about: see 
shackle.] I. a. Loose-jointed ; ill-made ; out of 
gear or repair ; crazy ; tumble-down ; unregu- 
lated; chaotic. 
There came . . . my lord the cardinal, in his rainshaclde 
coach, and his two, nay three, footmen behind him. 
Thackeray, Newcomes, xxxv. 
To get things where you wanted them, until they shook 
loose again by the ram-shackle movements of the machine. 
Bramuiett, Wool-Carding, p. 136. 
In the present complex, artificial, and generally ram- 
shackle condition of municipal organization in America. 
The American, IX. 229. 
II. . A thoughtless fellow. [Scotch.] 
Gin yon chield had shaved twa niches nearer you, your 
head, my man, would have lookit very like a bluidy pan- 
cake. This will learn ye again, ye young ramshackle. 
Lockhart, Reginald Dalton, I. 199. 
ramshackle 2 (ram'shak-1), v. A corrupt form 
of ransack, confused with ramshackle*. 
ramshackled (ram'shak-ld), a. [Sc. ram- 
shackled, < ramshackle* + -erf 2 .] Same as riim- 
shackle*. 
ramshackly (ram'shak-li), a. [< ramshackle 1 + 
-y*.] Same as ramshackle*. 
This old lady was immeasurably fond of the old ram- 
sftaclcly house she lived in. 
C. Reade, Clouds and Sunshine, p. 15. 
ram's-head (ramz'hed), n. 1. A species of 
lady's-slipper or moccasin-flower, Cypripedium 
arietinum, a rare plant of northern swamps in 
North America. The solitary flower has the three 
sepals distinct, is smaller than that of the common lady's- 
slipper, is colored brownish and reddish, and is drooping 
and of an odd form suggesting the name. 
2. A seed of the chick-pea, i'icer arietinum. 
ram's-horn (ramz'horn), . 1. A semicircular 
work in the ditch of a fortified place, swoep- 
1952 
ing the ditch, and itself commanded by the 
main work. 2. An ammonite: a general name 
of fossil cephalopods whose shells are spiral, 
twisted, or bent. 3. A winding net supported 
by stakes, to inclose fish that come in with the 
tide. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
ramskin (ram'skin), . [Prob. a corruption 
of ramekin."] A species of cake made of dough 
and grated cheese. Also called Sefton cake, as 
said to have been invented at Croxteth Hall, 
England, the seat of Lord Sefton. Imp. Diet. 
ramsons (ram'zonz), n. pi. [Formerly also ram- 
sens, ramsins, sometimes corruptly ramshorns; 
irreg., with additional plural suffix -s, for "ram- 
son, 'ramsen, itself a plural in ME.,< ME. "ram- 
sen (< AS. hramsan), pi. (for which are found 
ramsis, ramzys, ramseys, with pi. -s) of singu- 
lar "ramse (> E. dial, "ramsc, ramps, ramsh, 
also ramsy, ramsey), < AS. hranisa (pi. hramsan), 
broad-leafed garlic, = Bav. dial, ramsen, ram- 
sel = Sw. "rams (in comp. rams-Uik (lok = E. 
leek), bear-garlic) = Dan. rams, also in comp. 
rams-log (log = E. teek), garlic; cf. Lith. kre- 
musze, kremuszis, wild garlic, Ir. creamh, garlic, 
Gr. Kptifivov, an onion.] A species of garlic, 
Allium umiiium, of the northern parts of the 
Old World. 
Eate leekes in Lide and ramrint in May, 
And all the yeare after physicians may play. 
Aubrey'f Wilts, MS. Royal Hoc., p. 124. (HaUiwell.) 
ram-Stag (ram'stag), n. A gelded ram. Halli- 
well. [Prov. Eng-J 
ram-stam (ram'stam), a. and n. [A riming com- 
pound, < ram 3 + stam, var. of stamp.] I. a. 
Forward; thoughtless; headstrong. Halliwell. 
[Scotch and North. Eng.] 
The hairnm-scairum, ram gtam boys. 
Burnt, To James Smith. 
H. n. A giddy, forward person. [Scotch.] 
Watty is a lad of a methodical nature, and no a hurly- 
burly ram-gtam, like yon flea-luggit thing, Jamie. 
Hull. The Entail, III. 70. 
ram-stam (ram'stam), adv. [< ram-stum, a.] 
Precipitately; headlong. [Scotch.] 
The least well get, if we gang ram-gtam in on them, 
will be a broken head, to learn us better havings. 
Scott, Rob Roy, nviii. 
ramstead, ramsted (ram'sted), n. Same as 
ranstead. 
ramstead-weed (ram'sted-wed), n. Same as 
ranstead. 
ramtil (ram'til), . [E. Ind.] A plant, Guizo- 
tia Abyssinica, with oleiferous seeds. 
ramule (ram'ul), n. [< F. ramule, < L. ramulus, 
a little branch: see ramulus.] In bot., same as 
ramulus. 
ramuli, n. Plural of ramulus. 
ramuliferous (ram-u-lif 'e-rus), a. [< L. ramulus, 
a little branch, + ferre = E. bear*.] In bot., 
bearing ramuli or branchlets. 
ramulose (ram'u-los), a. [< L. ramulosus : see 
ramiilous.] Same as ramulous Ramulose cell 
or areolet of the wing, in eiitom., a cell or areolet emitting 
a short nervure from the outer or posterior Bide. 
ramulous (ram'u-lus), a. [= F. ramuleuz, 
< L. ramulosus, full of little branches (ap- 
plied by Pliny to veined leaves), < ramulus, a 
little branch : see ramulus.] 1. In bot., having 
many small branches. 2. In entom., having 
one or more small branches ; ramulose. 
ramulus (ram'u-lus), n.; pi. ramuli (-11). [L., 
a little branch, dim. of ramux, a branch : see ra- 
mus. Cf. ramule.] 1. In bot., anat., and zool.,a. 
branchlet or twig; a small ramus or branch, as 
of an artery. 2. [cap.] [NL.] Agenusofor- 
thopterous insects. Saussure, 1861 Ramulus 
carotico-tympanicus, one of the small branches of the 
internal carotid artery given off in the carotid canal to the 
mucous membrane of the tympanic cavity. 
ramus(ra'mus),H.; pl.ramj(-mi). [= F. rame, f . , 
OF. raim, m., = Sp. Pg. It. ramo, m., < L. rdmus, 
a branch, bough, twig, club, orig. "radmus = 
Gr. />d6a/ioc, a young branch ; cf. Gr. ^ddVf, a 
branch, = L. radix, a root : see radix.] In biol., 
a branch or branching part, as of a plant, vein, 
artery, or forked bone. The rami of the ischium and 
pubis are their narrowed projecting parts. The rami of 
the lower jaw, as in man, are the ascending branches at 
each end, as distinguished from the intermediate hori- 
zontal part, called the body; but in any case where such 
distinction is not marked, as in birds and reptiles, a ramus 
is either half of the mandible, or one of the gnathidia, 
usually composed of several distinct bones. See diagram 
under IriU, and cuts under Felidx and pleurodnnt. Man- 
dibular, pubic, etc., ramus. See the adjectives. 
ramuscule (ra-mus'kul), n. [= F. ramuscute, 
< LL. rauMMOuitM, dim. of L. ramus, a branch: 
see ramus.] 1. A branchlet; a small spray. 
2. In anat., a ramulus, branchlet, or twig, as of 
ranarium 
the arteries of the pia mater, which penetrate 
the substance of the brain. 
ran 1 (ran). Preterit of run. 
ran'-'t (run), n. [< ME. "ran, < AS. ran, rob- 
bery, open rapine, < Icel. ran = Dan. ran, rob- 
bery, depredation.] Open robbery and rapine : 
force; violence. 
ran 3 (ran), 11. [Also rann ; < ME. raw, ron, < W. 
rhan, a part, division, share, portion, section, 
= Ir. Gael, rann, part, division, verse, poem.] 
A song. 
ran 4 (ran), n. [Perhaps a confused form of 
rand 1 , strip of leather.] 1. The hank of a 
string. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 2. In rj>c- 
making, twenty cords of twine wound on a reel, 
every cord being so parted by a knot as to be 
easily separated from the others. 3. Naut., 
yarns coiled on a spun-yarn winch. Encyc. 
Diet. 
ran 8 (ran), . Same as num. 
Bana 1 (ra'na), n. [NL., < L. 7-awa, frog, prob. 
orig. *racaj'a croaker: cf. raccare, cry as a ti- 
ger.] 1 . An extensive Linnean genus of aquat- 
.- Skull of the Frog; upper figure 
from above, lower from below. 
<. nirdle-bone. or os-en-ceinture ; . ex 
Brain of Kana ttcu- 
lettta, from above, X4. 
Lol, olfactory lobe, 
or rhinencephalon, 
with /, olfactory 
nerves ; He, cerebral 
hemisphere, or prosen- 
cephalon ; Fho, thal- 
amencephalon ; /'. 
pineal body ; /. op, op- 
tic lobe ; C, cerebel- 
lum ; S rtt, fourth ven- 
tricle : Mo, medulla 
oblongata. 
ic salient anu- 
rous batrachi- 
ans, typical of 
fjjg family Ra- 
Ii" e 
<. nre-one. or os-en-cenure ; . ex "* / tne tr g s 
occipital ;/. frontal part of frontoparietal proper. It WftS 
bone ; mx, maxillary ; . nasal ; ffofis fnrmoylv mnrB 
thotic; /.parietal part of frontoparietal; eriy I 
far, parasphenoid ; fnt, premaxilla ; fo, than COnter- 
prootic; pi, pterygoid ; j, quadratojugal : _.;_ ,!*>, 
sg. squamosal ; sus, suspensonum of lower IIJ1I1UUS Wltll 
jaw ; i>. vomer ; i. optic foramen ; a, fora- ^ Qe present 
men ovale ; 3, condyloid foramen. 
family Ramdte. 
See frog*, and also cuts under bullfrog, girdle- 
bone, Jnura 2 , and temporomastoid. 2. A ge- 
nus of mollusks. Humphreys, 1797. 
Bana 2 (ra'na), . [Hind. raa, a prince, < Skt. 
rajanya, princely, royal,< rajan, a king, prince: 
see raja 2 . Cf. rani.] Prince : the title of some 
sovereign princes or ruling chiefs in Rajputana 
and other parts of India. 
Rdnd Bhim Sink [of Dholpur], the tenth in descent f mm 
Rilnd Singan Deo, seized upon the fortress of Owalior. 
Encyc. Brit., VII. 147. 
Kanae (ra'ne), n.pl. [NL., pi. of L. rawa, frog: 
see liana*.] The salient batrachians as an or- 
der of reptiles. Wagler, 1830. 
Banales(ra-na'lez),n.^. [NL. (Lindley, 1833), 
< I{an(unculus), the type of the cohort.] A co- 
hort of dicotyledonous plants of the polypeta- 
lous series Tlialamiftorie. It is characterized by the 
commonly numerous stamens and pistils, all distinct and 
inserted on the receptacle or within it, and by the fleshy 
and usually copious albumen, surrounding a small or mi- 
nute embryo. It includes about 1,800 species, grouped in 
8 orders, of which the Ranunculacex, the leading family, 
and the DiUeniace have generally one row of petals and 
one of five sepals. The other orders are remarkable among 
plants in having their petals commonly in two or more 
rows, and include the calycanthus and barberry families, 
the leaves In the first opposite, in the second usually com- 
pound ; the magnolia and custard-apple families, trees with 
alternate leaves, in the first mainly stipulate ; the moon- 
seed family, consisting of vines; and the water-lilies, a 
family of aquatics. 
ranarium (ra-na'ri-um), . ; pi. ranaria (-a). 
[NL., < L. rawa, frog (see Rand*), + -arium.] 
A collection of live frogs; a place where frogs 
are kept alive, to study their transformations, 
for vivisection iu physiological experiments, 
etc. 
The institute also contains a large room full of rabbits 
and guinea-pigs, for which a little lawn is provided in 
summer. It also possesses a ranarium, in which are 700 
frogs, divided into thirty-one departments, to prevent the 
spread of the frog disease. Lancet, Mo. 3428, p. 862. 
