rat 
rat 4 t. A Middle English contracted form of 
redeth, the third person singular present indica- 
tive of read 1 . Piers Plowmnn. 
rata (rii'ta), M. [New Zealand.] A tree of 
New Zealand, Metrosideros robusta, growing 
from 60 to 80 feet high, the wood of which is 
used in cabinet-work, and in civil and naval 
architecture. The name belongs also to M. fiarida, a 
stout-trunked climber ascending the highest trees ; it is 
also more or less extended by settlers to other species of 
the genus. Besides in several cases yielding valuable 
wood, these trees are notable for their profusion of bril- 
liant flowers, which are generally, as in M. robugta, scar- 
let. See fire-tree and Metrosideros. 
ratability (ra-ta-bil'j-ti), n. [< ratable + -ity 
(see -bility),~\ The quality of being ratable. 
Athenseum, No. 3261, p. 535. 
ratable (ra'ta-bl), a. [Also rateable; < rate 2 + 
-able.'] 1. Capable of being rated, or set at a 
certain value. 
I collect out of the abbay booke of Burton, that 20 One 
were ratable to two markes of siluer. 
Carnden, Remains, Money. 
2. Reckoned according to a certain rate ; pro- 
portional. 
In conscience and credit [poets were] bound, next after 
the diuine praises of the immortal! gods, to yeeld a like 
ratable honour to all such amongst men as most resembled 
the gods by excellencie of function. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 28. 
A ratable payment of all the debts of the deceased, in 
equal degree, is clearly the most equitable method. 
Mackstone, Com., III. il 
3. Liable or subjected by law to be rated or as- 
sessed for taxation. 
ratableness (ra'ta-bl-nes), n. Ratability. 
ratably (ra'ta-bli), adv. According to rating 
or valuation ; at a proportionate rate ; propor- 
tionally. 
I will thus charge them all ratablye, according to theyr 
abilityes, towardes theyr maintenaunce. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. 
The shareholders of every national banking association 
shall be held individually responsible, equally and ratably. 
National Bank Act, U. S. (ed. 1882), p. 14. 
ratafia (rat-a-fe'a), n. [Formerly also ratifia, 
ratifie, ratifee, also ratafias; = I)., etc., ratafia, 
< F. ratafia, formerly also ratafiat (cf. F. tafia, 
rum, arrack), = Sp. ratafia = Pg. ratafia, < Ma- 
lay araq, a distilled spirit, arrack (< Ar. 'araq, 
juice, distilled spirit: see arrack). + tafia, taffia, 
a spirit distilled from molasses.] 1. A sweet 
cordial flavored with fruits: sometimes limited 
to those the flavor of which is obtained from 
black currants, bitter almonds, or peach- and 
cherry-kernels. 
It would make a Man smile to behold her Figure in a 
front Box, where her twinkling Eyes, by her Afternoon's 
Drams of Ratifee and cold Tea, sparkle more than her Pen- 
dants. Quoted in Ashton's Social Life in Reign of 
[Queen Anne, I. 201. 
2. A kind of fancy cake or biscuit. 
Give him three ratafias, soaked in a dessert-spoonful of 
cream. . George Eliot, Mill on the Floss, vi. 1. 
ra+an, rattan 2 (ra-tan'), . [Formerly also rat- 
toon, rotan, rotang, rottang; = D. Sw. Dan. rot- 
ting (NL. Botang), < F. rotin, rotang = Sp. rota, 
< Malay rotan, ratan. The E. accent, on the 
last syllable, is appar. in imitation of the F. ; 
the Malay word is accented on the first sylla- 
ble.] 1. A palm of one among numerous spe- 
cies, mostly of the genus Calamus, a few of the 
genus Bhapis ; a ratan-palm. The species of Cala- 
mus are prevailingly climbing palms, attaining a length 
sometimes of 500 feet, with a thickness not exceeding an 
inch ascending the tallest trees, falling in festoons, and 
again ascending. A few species are found in Africa and 
Australia, but they abound chiefly in the East Indies, on 
the mainland and islands. The species of Rhapis are erect 
slender canes growing in dense tufts, and are natives of 
China and Japan. Katans of this habit are commercially 
distinguished from the climbing ones as yround-ratans. 
2. The stems of the ratan collectively as an 
economic material. Among its chief commercial 
sources are Calamus Rotang, C. rudentum, C. vena, C. 
erectus, and C. Koyleanus. The most valuable ratan is 
produced in Borneo. On account of its length and light, 
tough, flexible, and fissile character, ratan is applied to 
very numerous uses. In native regions the product of 
C. rudentum and other species is split and twisted in 
vast quantities into all sizes of cordage from cables to 
fishing-lines. Basket-making is another common use. 
In some places the stems of climbing ratans are used 
for the suspension of foot-bridges of great length. In 
China whole houses are made of ratan, there afforded 
chiefly by Rhapis flabelUfarmis. Matting made of split 
ratan is exported thence to all parts of the world. The 
same fiber serves also to make hats, the bottoms of rice- 
sieves, thread for sewing palm-leaves, etc. In recent 
times ratan has become an important article in western 
commerce. It is now not only used for walking-sticks, 
but extensively made into chairs and chair-bottoms, bod- 
ies for fancy carriages, fine and coarse basket-work, etc. 
It has almost superseded willow in making the large 
baskets required in manufacturing and other industries. 
4968 
3. A switch or stick of ratan, especially a walk- 
ing-stick. 
Mr. Hnmley did give me a little black rattoon, painted 
and gilt. Pepy*, Diary, an. 1660. 
ratan, rattan 2 (ra-tan'), v. t. [< ratan, rattan?, 
.] 1. To use ratan in making; cover or fonn 
with interlaced lengths of ratan. 
The second class coach is finished in native ash with 
Moorish designed ceilings, rattaned sofa seats, and closet 
and toilet rooms. Sei. Amer., N. S., LIX. 3. 
2. To use a ratan upon; beat with or as with a 
ratan-caue. [Colloq.] 
ratan-cane (ra-tan'kan), n. Same as ratan, 3. 
ratanhine (rat'an-in), n. [< Braz. Pg. ratanhia 
(see ratany) (' -ine 2 .] An alkaloid (CinH 13 
NOs) occurring in small quantity in the ex- 
tract of ratany-root. 
ratany (rat'a-ni), n. [Alsora/fanjr, ratanhy, and 
rhatany; ='F. ratanhia, < Braz. Pg. ratanhia, < 
Peruv. ratana, native name.] 1. A procum- 
bent South American 
shrub, Krameria tri- 
andra, yielding a 
medicinal root, its 
foliage IB silver-gray with 
silky hairs, and it bears 
star-like lake-colored 
flowers singly in the up- 
per axils. See Krameria 
and ratany-mt. 
2. A medicinal sub- 
stance procured from 
this plant: same as 
ratany-root. Para, 
Brazilian, or Ceara 
ratany, a substitute for 
the true ratany, obtained 
from Kramena argentea Katany (Kramiria trtaiUra). 
of northeastern Brazil. 
ratany-root (rat'a-ui-rot), n. The root-sub- 
stance of the ratany, used in medicine for its 
astringent, diuretic, and detergent properties, 
and in the adulteration of port-wine. 
rataplan (rat-a-plon'),i. [F.; imitative. Cf. 
rattan^, rat-a-tat.'] The sound or music of 
the military drum; a tattoo or "rub-a-dub." 
rat-a-tat (rat'a-taf), n. [Imitative. Ct.rat- 
tat, rat-tat-too.] A rattling sound or effect, as 
from the beating of a drum. 
rat-catcher (rat'kach'er), n. One whose busi- 
ness is the catching of rats ; a ratter. 
rat-catching (rat'kach'ing), . The catching 
of rats, now pursued as a business by rat- 
catchers, and formerly to a large extent in 
Great Britain, with dogs or ferrets, as a popu- 
lar amusement. 
ratch 1 (rach), r. [An assibilated form of rack 1 , 
or in part a var. of retch 1 or reach 1 : see rack 1 , 
v.] L. trans. 1. To stretch or pull asunder. 2. 
To spot or streak. Halliwell. 
[Prov. Eng. in both uses.] 
II. intrans. Naut., to make a stretch or vary- 
ing stretches in sailing; sail by the wind or by 
tacks ; stand off and on. 
There was a fleet of smacks ratching to the eastward on 
our port bow. W. C. Rustett, Jack's Courtship, xxiii. 
ratch 1 (rach), n. [An assibilated form of rack 1 : 
see rack 1 , n. In defs. 3 and 4, directly from the 
verb. Cf. dim. ratchet.] 1. In a machine, a bar 
having angular teeth, into which a pawl drops, 
to prevent the machine from being reversed in 
motion. A circular ratch is a ratchet-wheel. 
2. In clockwork, a sort of wheel having fangs, 
which serve to lift the detents and thereby 
cause the clock to strike. 3. A straight line. 
[Prov. Eng.] 4. A white mark on the face of 
a horse. [Eng.] 
ratch 2 t (rach), n. [Early mod. E. also rach, 
rache; < ME. racche, rache,< AS. race, a dog, = 
Icel. rakki, a dog.] A dog that hunts by scent. 
As they ryde talkynge, 
A rach ther come flyngynge 
Overtwert the way. 
Thanne seyde old and yonge, 
From her first gynnynge, 
They ne sawe honde never so gay. 
Lybeaue Mseomw(Rit8on's Metr. Rom., II.). 
There are in England and Scotland two kinds of hunt- 
ing dogs : the first is called a rache; and this is a foot- 
scenting creature, both of wild beasts, birds, and fishes 
also which lie hid among the rocks ; the female hereof is 
called in England a brache, Qentleman's Recreation, p. 28. 
ratch 3 (rach), v. t. Same as rash*. [Scotch.] 
ratch 4 (rach), n. [Origin obscure. Cf . ratchel.] 
A subsoil of stone and gravel mixed with clay. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
ratched (racht), p. a. [Pp. of ratchZ, v.] Rag- 
ged; in a ruinous state. Jamieson. [Scotch.] 
ratchel (rach'el), n. [Also ratchell, ratchil: cf. 
ratch*, ratcher. Perhaps < G. rutschel, the frag- 
ments from two masses of rock sliding one on 
rate 
the other, < rvtschen, slide, slip.] Fragments 
of stone; gravelly stone; also, a hard, rocky 
crust below the soil. Jamii-xon. [Prov. Eng. 
and Scotch.] 
ratcher (rach'er), n. [Cf. ratcli*, ratchel.] A 
rock. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
ratchet (rach'et), n. [< ratch 1 + -et.] A de- 
tent or pivoted piece designed to fit into the 
teeth of a ratchet-wheel, permitting the wheel 
to rotate in one direction, but not in the other. 
A similar device so arranged as to move the wheel is termed 
a pallet, (see ratchet-wheel, cfiefri, 3, paui, and detent.) 
Combined with the ratchet-wheel as a means of convert- 
ing a reciprocating into a rotary motion, the ratchet ap- 
pears in a number of tools and gives its name to each : as, 
the ratchet bed-key, etc. 
ratchet-brace (rach'et-bras), n. See brace 1 . 
ratchet-burner (rach'et-br"ner), n. A burner 
for a lamp in which the wick is moved up and 
down by means of a wheel with notched points. 
ratchet-COUpling (rach'et-kup"ling), n. A de- 
vice for uncoupling machinery in the event of 
a sudden stoppage of the motion of a driving- 
wheel, as by an obstruction . It consists of a ratchet- 
wheel inserted in a sleeve on the exterior shaft of a driv- 
ing-wheel. The ratchet is efficient as long as it transmits 
the initial motion ; bat if the revolution of the driver is 
checked, the sleeve slips over the ratchet until the ma- 
chinery loses its momentum, thus avoiding a shock. 
ratchet-drill (rach'et-dril), n. A tool for drill- 
ing holes by means of a ratchet in a narrow 
plane where there is no room for the common 
brace. 
ratchet-jack (rach'et-jak), n. A form of screw- 
jack in which the lever-socket is fitted with a 
pallet engaging a ratchet-wheel, so that flie jack 
may be operated by oscillation of the lever. 
ratchet-lever (rach'et-lev'er), n. A lever with 
a collar fitted around a ratchet-wheel which en- 
gages a pallet on the lever, used for operating 
a drill or screw by oscillation of the lever. 
ratchet-pedal (rach'et-ped'al), n. See pedal. 
ratchet-post (rach'et-post), n. Milit., a metal- 
lic post fastened f o the rear transom of the top- 
carriage of a heavy gun, to serve as a support 
or fulcrum for the elevating-bar. 
ratchet-punch (rach'et -punch), n. A punch 
worked by a screw which is revolved by means 
of a ratchet-lever. 
ratchet-wheel (rach'et-hwel), n. A wheel with 
pointed and angular teeth, against which a 
ratchet abuts, used either for converting a re- 
ciprocating into a rotatory motion on the shaft 
to which it is fixed, or for admitting of its mo- 
tion in one direction only. 
For both purposes an arrangement 
similar to that shown in the cut is 
employed, a is the ratchet-wheel, 
and b the reciprocating lever, to 
the end of which is jointed a small 
ratchet or pawl c, furnished with a 
catch of the same form as the teeth 
of the wheel, which, when the lever 
ismovedinonedirectjon, slidesover 
the teeth, but in returning draws 
the wheel with it The pawl c is 
forced into engagement with the 
teeth of the ratchet-wheel by the 
spring /. The other ratchet, d, 
which may be used either separately 
or in combination with the first, permits of the motion of 
the wheel in the direction of the arrow, but opposes its re- 
turn in the opposite direction. Also called click-wheel. 
See also cut under pawl. 
ratchet-wrench (rach'et-rench), n. A ratchet 
bed-key wrench. 
ratchety (rach'e-ti), a. [< ratchet + -y 1 .] Like 
the movement of a ratchet ; jerky; clicking. 
Ratchet-wheel. 
. poured out a ratchety but vehement pane- 
Tke Money-Makers, p. 128. 
Raikes 
gyric. 
ratchil, . See ratchel. 
ratchment (rach'ment), n. [< ratch 1 + -ment.] 
In arch., a flying-buttress which springs from 
the principals of a herse and abuts against the 
central or chief principal. Oxford Glossary. 
rate 1 (rat), t'. ; pret. and pp. rated, ppr. rating. 
[< ME. raten, chide, scold, in comp., < Sw. rata, 
reject, refuse, slight, find fault with (cf. rat- 
gods, refuse goods), = Norw. rata, reject, cast 
aside as rubbish; akin to Norw. rat, refuse, 
rubbish, trash, = Icel. hrat, hrati, rubbish, trash, 
skins, stones, etc., of berries; Norw. rata, bad, 
worthless: see ro* 2 .] I. trans. 1. To chide 
with vehemence ; reprove; scold; censure vio- 
lently. 
He shal be rated of his studying. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. 277. 
Go, rate thy minions, proud insulting boy ! 
S*ot.,3Hen. VI.,ii. 2. 84. 
His mother is angry, rates him. 
B. Jonson, Sad Shepherd, Arg. 
2t. To affect by chiding or reproving ; restrain 
by vehement censure. 
