rath 
the tribe or court. Sometimes also the Rath consisted of 
two or three concentric walls or circumvallations ; but it 
does not appear that the erection so called was ever in- 
tended to be surrounded with water. 
O'Curry, Anc. Irish, II xix. 
rath 3 (rat), . [E. Ind.] A name given to cer- 
tain rock-cut Buddhist temples in India. 
The oldest and most interesting group of monuments 
at Mahavellipore are the so-called five raths or monolithic 
temples standing on the sea-shore. 
J. Fergusson, Hist. Indian Arch., p. 328. 
rath 4 (rat), TO. [Hind, rath, a carriage, < Skt. 
ratha, chariot.] A Burmese state carriage. 
Every day the State rath, or chariot, of the Bhavnagar 
Dunbar is drawn by two oxen about the Upper Gardens. 
Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886, p. SO. 
rat-hare (rat'har), n. Same as pika. 
rathe, a. and adv. See rath 1 . 
rathelt, v. t. [ME. rathelen; origin obscure.] 
To fix; root. 
Gawayn graythely hit bydez & glent with no membre, 
Bot stode stylle as the ston, other a stubbe author, 
That ratheled is in roche grounde, with rotez a hundreth. 
Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2292. 
rathelyt, adv. See rathly. 
rather (raTH'er), adv. [< ME. rather, rether, 
< AS. hrathor, more quickly, sooner, earlier, 
compar. of hrathe, quick, soon, early: see rath 1 , 
adv. Cf. superl. rathest (obs.), < ME. rathest, 
ratheste, soonest, earliest, < AS. hrathost: see 
rath 1 .'] If. More quickly; quicker. See rath 1 , 
adv., 1. 2f. Earlier; sooner. 
Thilke sterres that ben cleped sterres of the north 
arisen rather than the degree of hire longitude, and alle 
the sterres of the south arisen after the degree of hire 
longitude. Chaucer, Astrolabe, i. 21. 
And 3it schal erthe vn-to erthe rather than he wolde. 
Hymns to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. 8.), p. 88. 
3. More readily or willingly; with better lik- 
ing; with preference or choice ; in preference, 
as compared with something else. 
Men loved darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds were evil. John ill. 19. 
4. In preference ; preferably ; with better rea- 
son; better. 
Give us of your oil. . . . Not o ; . . . but go ye rather 
to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Mat x \ v. 9. 
Dye rather, dye, then ever from her service swerve. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. v. 46. 
Had he who drew such gladness ever wept? 
Ask rather could he else have seen at all, 
Or grown in Nature's mysteries an adept? 
Lowell, To a Friend. 
5. More properly; more correctly speaking; 
more. 
The Doctor by this oversight (or cunningness, rattier) 
got a supply of money. Howell, Letters, IV. 2. 
A certain woman . . . had spent all that she had, and 
was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. Mark v. 26. 
This is an art 
Which does mend nature, change it rather, but 
The art itself is nature. Shot., W. T., iv. 4. 96. 
Covered with dust and blood and wounds, and haggard 
with fatigue and horror, they looked like victims rather 
than like warriors. Irving, Granada, p. 92. 
6. On the contrary; to the contrary of what 
has been just stated. 7. In a greater degree ; 
much ; considerably ; also, in colloquial use, in 
some degree; somewhat: qualifying a verb. 
He sought her through the world, but sought in vain, 
And, no-where finding, rather fear'd her slain. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., 1. 799. 
Wai, of course he made his court to Ruth ; and the Gin- 
eral, he rather backed him up in it. 
H. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 37. 
8. In some degree or measure ; somewhat ; mod- 
erately : usually qualifying an adverb or an ad- 
jective : as, she is rather pretty. [Chiefly col- 
loq.] 
An Indian camp is a rather interesting, though very 
dirty, place to visit. The Century, XXXVI. 39. 
[In this sense often used ironically, in answering a ques- 
tion, as an emphatic affirmative. 
"Do you know the mayor's house?" " Rather," replied 
the boots significantly, as if he had some good reason to 
remember it. Dickens.] 
Had rather. See to have rather, under have. Leet ra- 
ther. See leet*. Rather better than, somewhat in ex- 
cess of ; rather more than. 
Five hundred and fifty musketeers, rather better than 
three to one. Cf. P. R. James, Arrah Neil, p. 60. 
Rather . . . than otherwise. See otherwise. The 
rather, by so much the more ; especially ; for better rea- 
son ; for particular cause. 
You are come to me in happy time ; 
The rather for I have some sport in hand. 
Shak., T. of the S., Ind., L 91. 
This I the rather write, that we may know there are other 
Parts of the World than those which to us are known. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 60. 
ratherish (raTH'er-ish), adv. [< rather + 
-is* 1 .] Slightly; to a small extent; in some 
degree. [Colloq.] 
4970 
Lavalette is ratherish against Popish temporality ; Gen. 
Guyon is rather favorable to it. 
New York Tribune, April 22, 1862. 
Rathke's duct. The Miilleriau duct when it is 
persistent in the male. 
Eathke's trabeculse. See trabecula. 
rathlyt, adv. [ME., also rathely, radly, rad/icln . 
< AS. hrasdlice, quickly, hastily, speedily, < 
hrseth, quick: see rath 1 .] In a rath manner; 
quickly; suddenly. 
Thomas rathely vpe he rase. 
Thomas of Ersseldoune (Child's Ballads, 1. 100). 
Ryee we now full radly, rest here no longer, 
And I shall tell you full tyte, and tary no thing. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 772. 
rat-hole (rat'hol), TO. 1. A hole gnawed in 
woodwork, etc., by a rat or rats. 2. In print- 
ing, same as pigeonhole, 6. 
ratholite (rath'o-lit), n. Same a,Bj>ectolite. 
r athripe (raTH'rip), o. and n. [< ME. *ra thripe, < 
AS. reedripe, hreedripe, early ripe,< hrseth, quick, 
+ ripe, ripe: see rath 1 and ripe. Cf. rareripe.'] 
I. a. Early ripe ; ripe before the season ; rare- 
ripe. [Obsolete or prov. Eng.] 
Such as delight in rathript fruits. Putter. 
Rathripe barley, barley derived from a long succession 
of crops on warm gravelly soil, so that it ripens earlier 
than common barley under different circumstances. 
II. n. A rareripe. [Obsolete or prov. Eng.] 
ratifiat, ratiflet, n. Obsolete forms of ratafia. 
ratification (raf'i-fi-ka'shon), n. [Early mod. 
E. ratification, < OF. ratification, ratification, F. 
ratification = Pr. ratification = Sp. ratification 
= Pg. ratificacjto = It. ratificazione, < ML. 
ratificatio(n-), < ratificare, ratify: see ratify.'] 
1. The act of ratifying; the act by which a 
competent authority gives sanction and valid- 
ity to something done by another ; also, the state 
of being ratified ; confirmation: as, the ratifica- 
tion of a treaty, or of a contract or promise. 
The kyng of England sent Sir Nicholas Carew, knight, 
master of his horses, and Doctor Sampson, to Bononie, for 
the ratification of the league concluded at Cambray. 
Ball, Hen. VIIL, an. 21. 
It was argued by Monroe, Gerry, Howel, Ellery, and 
myself that by the modern usage of Europe the ratification 
was considered as the act which gave validity to a treaty, 
until which it was not obligatory. 
Je/erson, Autobiography, p. 46. 
2. In law, the adoption by a person, as binding 
upon himself, of an act previously done in his 
name or on his behalf, or in such relation that 
he may claim it as done for his benefit, al- 
though done under such circumstances as 
would not bind him except by his subsequent 
consent, as in the case of an act done by a 
stranger having at the same time no authority 
to act as his agent, or by an agent not having 
adequate authority to do the act. intention to 
ratify is not necessary in order to constitute a ratification, 
for an acceptance of the results of the act may its. -If be 
conclusive upon the party. But a knowledge of all the 
material circumstances is usually necessary in order to 
make a ratification binding. Ratification by a wife, in 
Scots law, a declaration on oath made by a wife in presence 
of a justice of the peace (her husband being absent) that a 
deed she has executed has been made freely, and that she 
has not been induced to make it by her husband through 
force or fear. Ratification meeting, in the United 
States, a political meeting called for the purpose of ex- 
pressing approval of the nominations made by a political 
party, and of creating enthusiasm for their support. 
ratifier (rat'i-fl-er), n. One who or that which 
ratifies or sanctions. 
Antiquity forgot, custom not known. 
The rotifers and props of every word. 
Shak., Hamlet, iv. 5. 105. 
ratify (rat'i-fi), v. t. ; pret. and pp. ratified, 
ppr. ratifying. [< OF. ratefier, F. ratifier = Pr. 
Sp. Pg. ratificar = It. ratificare, < ML. ratificare, 
confirm, ratify, < L. ratus, fixed, settled, + 
-ficare, < facere, make : see rate 2 and -/y.] 1 . 
To confirm ; establish ; settle conclusively or 
authoritatively ; make certain or lasting. 
We have ratified to them the borders of Judea. 
1 Mac. xi. 34. 
Covenants will be ratified and confirmed, as it were by 
the Stygian oath. Baton, Political Fables, li., ExpL 
Shaking hands with emphasis, ... as if they were rati- 
fying some solemn league and covenant. 
Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, xvii. 
2. To validate by some formal act of approval ; 
accept and sanction, as something done by an 
agent or a representative ; confirm as a valid 
act or procedure. 
This Accord and final Peace signed by both Kings was 
ratified by their two eldest Sons. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 125. 
A solemn compact let us ratify, 
And witness ev'ry power that rules the sky. 
Pope, Odyssey, xiv. 
ratio 
The unfortunate king, unable to make even a protest 
for the rights of his son, was prevailed on to ratify the 
agreement. ///, Const. Hist., s 677. 
Ratifying convention, a convention held for the pur- 
pose of ratifying certain measures, acts, etc. : specifically 
used in United States politics of the conventions held by 
the several States of the American Union for the purpose 
of ratifying the Federal Constitution of 1787. 
ratihabitiont (rat*i-ha-bish'on), n. [= Sp. mti- 
lidbii'iini = Pg. ratihabifSo = It. ratiaoMone, 
< LL. ratihabitio(n-), ratification at law, < L. 
ratus, fixed, settled (see rate 2 ), + haoerc, have: 
see habit.'] Approval, as of something done or 
to be done ; precedent or subsequent consent ; 
sanction ; confirmation of authority or of action. 
In matters criminal ratihabition, or approving of the 
act, does always make the approver guilty. Jer. Taylor. 
To assure their full powers, they Had letters of commis- 
sion or of ratihabition, or powers of attorney, such as were 
usually furnished to proctors or representative officers. 
StuWw, Const. Hist., 747. 
rating 1 (ra'ting), TO. [Verbal n. of rate 1 , v.~\ A 
scolding. 
rating 2 (ra'ting), n. [Verbal n. of rate 2 , .] 1. 
A fixing of rates ; proportionate distribution as 
to charge or compensation; determination of 
relative values or rights. 
The loss by any railway company of its whole share of 
this traffic, in consequence of being crippled in competi- 
tion by regulations as to rating. 
Contemporary Rev., LI. 78. 
The following table of ratings and of the number pen- 
sioned at each rate shows how the allowance is distributed 
among invalid survivors. The Century, XXXVIII. 636. 
2. Classification according to grade or rank ; 
determination of relative standing; hence, 
rank or grade. The rating of men in the navy signifies 
the grade in which they are rated or entered in the ship's 
books. The rating of ships is the division into grades (see 
riiif-, n., 8) by which the complement of officers and cer- 
tain allowances are determined. 
ratio (ra'shio), TO. [< L. ratio, a reckoning, ac- 
count, calculation, relation, reference, reason, 
etc., < reri, pp. ratus, think, deem, estimate: 
see rate 2 , and cf. ration and reason, from the 
same L. noun.] 1. The relation between two 
similar magnitudes in respect to quantity; the 
relation between two similar quantities in re- 
spect to how many times one makes so many 
times the other. There is no intelligible difference 
between a ratio and a quotient of similar quantities ; they 
are simply two modes of expression connected with differ- 
ent associations. But it was contrary to the old usage to 
speak of a ratio as a quantity a usage leading to intoler- 
able complications. Thus, instead of saying that the mo- 
mentum of a moving particle is the product of its mass 
into its velocity a mode of expression both convenient 
and philosophical the older writers say that the momenta 
of two particles are in the compound ratio of their masses 
and velocities. This language, which betrays several er- 
rors of logic, is now disused ; although some writers still 
persist in making numbers the only subjects of addition 
and multiplication. By mathematicians ratio is now con- 
ceived and spoken of as synonymous with yuotient. 
The numbers which specify a strain are mere ratios, 
and are therefore independent of units. 
J. D. Everett, Units and Physical Constants, p. 45. 
2. Proportion of relations or conditions ; coin- 
cident agreement or variation; correspon- 
dence in rate; equivalence of relative move- 
ment or change. 
There has been a constant ratio kept between the 
stringency of mercantile restraints and the stringency of 
other restraints. H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 327. 
3. Reason ; cause : often used as a Latin word 
in current Latin phrases. 
In this consists the ratio and essential ground of the 
gospel doctrine. Waterland. 
4. In musical acoustics, the relation between 
the vibration-numbers of two tones. It is the 
physical or mathematical representation of the 
interval between them. 5. In civil law, an ac- 
count ; a cause, or the giving of judgment there- 
in. Alternate ratio, the ratio of the first to the third 
or the second to the fourth term of a proportion. All- 
harmonic ratio, see anharmonic. Arithmetical ra- 
tio. See arithmetical. Change-ratio. See change. 
Composition of ratios, the uniting of two or more sim- 
ple ratios into one, by taking the product of the antece- 
dents and the product of the consequents. Compound 
ratio. See compound^. Consequent of a ratio. See 
consequent. Direct ratio, (a) A ratio not inverse. (o) 
Loosely, a direct and simple ratio : as, the weights of bodies 
are in the direct ratio of their masses that is, the weight 
of one is to that of another as the mass of the former is 
to that of the latter. Also direct proportion. Direction 
ratio, duple ratio. See the qualifying words. Dis- 
similar ratios, unequal quotients. Division of a ra- 
tio. See division. Duplicate ratio, a ratio of squares. 
The old writers, instead of saying that the distance passed 
over by a falling body is proportional to the square of the 
time, say that the spaces are in the duplicate ratios of the 
times. Inverse or reciprocal ratio, in math., the ratio 
of the reciprocals of two quantities. Irrational ratio, 
a ratio of surds. Measure of a ratio. See measure. 
Mixed ratio. Seemtedi. Modular ratio. SeewZ- 
ular. Multipllcate ratio, a ratio of powers. Oxygen 
ratio, in mineral. , the ratio between the number of oxygen 
