in summer, and from the bill in winter, being white ; there 
is a narrow white line from the bill to the eye, and the 
tips of the secondaries are white. The bird is about 18 
inches long, and 27 in extent of wings. It inhabits arctic 
and northerly regions of both hemispheres, subsists chief- 
ly on fish, and nests on rocky sea-coasts, laying a single egg 
about 3 by 2 inches, white 
razorbill 4080 
! i i p; JTi, of n he / u ?' ow . 8 ls whl V'. the I"," 1 bcln ? therw ' 8e erallv red-, but later also re- (the form red- also 
hi,,,*, .like Ihe feet; the mouth is yellow. The plumage occurring in rfrf ^ erf? render ; and , assimilated, 
in rel-ligio, religion, rel-liquise, relics, ree-cidere, 
fall back, and with a connecting vowel in redi- 
rint.t, living again), an inseparable prefix, back, 
again, against : see def. The OF. and It. form 
_. ,-... .--,, re- of ten appears as ra- by confusion with the 
or whitish, spotted and blotched true ra- (< L. re- + ad-), and the following con- 
with different shades of brown. The flesh is eatable. sonant is often doubled, as in OF. renpiller, < 
1lT\7ilTOf If It II )1/>ll/,)l It 1) IllffI T ti i -r. .-t J 
2. The skimmer or cutwater, Rhynchops wgra. L . repettere repe l ; It. rappresc,, tore. < L. reprie- 
B skimmer and lil^chops. gerttere> re p re sent; etc. Words witn the prefix 
razor-billed (ra zor-bild), a. Haying a bill hk- ra . in O F. usually appear with re- in E., except 
ened to a razor many way: specifically noting when the accent has receded, as in roWiA.] An 
certain birds.-Eazor-DlUed auk. See razorbill, i.- inseparable prefix of Latin origin (before a vow- 
SSSSS&gSr*' " blrd ' the 8enUS """ " "1 4y & the form remaning 'back,' 
tS^rc^n^SS:^ 1 " A long> 8lim oys - J^2X^StSS3^?& 
I1B *J. . mon as an English formative. Itdenotes(a)aturningback 
razor-clam (ra'zor-klam), n. 
lusk of the family 
genera Ensis, Solen 
razor-shell : so called 
under Ensis. 
razor-fish (ra'zor-fish), n. 1. A fish of the 
family Labridee, XyricMhijs Hneatus, of the West 
Indies, occasional on the southern coast of the 
United States. 2. A related fish, Xyrichthys 
novacula, of the Mediterranean. 3. A razor- 
clam: so called from the shape of the shell, 
which resembles a razor. The common razor-fish 
of Great Britain is Ensis siliqua, also called spout-fish and 
razor-shell. Siliqua pattda is a Californian species, used 
for food. 
razor-grass (ra'zor-gras), n. A West Indian 
nut-rush, Scleria scindens, with formidable cut- 
ting leaves. 
razor-grinder (ra'zor-grin'der), n. The night- 
jar: same as grinder, 3. 
razor-hone (ra'zor-hon), n. A fine hone used 
for sharpening or setting razors. See hone 1 . 
razor-paper (ra'zor-pa'pdr), n. Smooth unsized 
paper coated on one side with a composition of 
powdered crocus and emery, designed as a sub- 
etc. ; (d) transition to an opposite state, as in reprobate 
retract, reveal, etc. ; (e) repetition of an action (' again 'X 
as in rente, resume, etc., becoming In this use an extreme- 
ly common English formative, applicable to any English 
verb whatever, whether of Latin origin, as In react, reen- 
ter, recreate, readdress, reappear, reproduce, reunite, etc., 
or of Anglo-Saxon or other origin, as in rebind, rebuild, 
redye, refill, reft, reheat, relight, reline, reload, retet, re- 
write, etc. In many words taken from the Latin, either 
directly or through the Old French, the force of re- (red-) 
has been lost, or is not distinctly felt, in English, as in re- 
ceive, reception, recommend, recover, reduce, redeem, recu- 
perate, recreate^, refer, rejoice, relate, reliyion, remain, re- 
nown, repairi, repair*, report, request, require, and other 
words containing a radical element not used in the par- 
ticular sense concerned, or not used at all, in English. 
Some of these words, as recover^, recreate^, are distinguished 
from English formations with the clear prefix re-, again, 
often written distinctively with a hyphen, as in re-cover, re- 
create, etc. In many instances the prefix, by shifting of ac- 
cent and change of sound, or loss of adjacent elements, loses 
the character of a prefix, as in rebel, a., relic, relict, remnant, 
run, restive, etc., and in words from Old French in which 
the prefix re- combines with the prefix a- in the form ra-, 
not recognized as an English prefix, as in rallyi, robot*, 
etc. In some other words also re- is reduced to r-, as in 
rantom (doublet of redemption\ rampart, rencounter, etc. 
The prefix re- is found in many wordsformed in Old French 
stitute for a strop, 
razor-paste (ra'zor-past), w. A paste of emery- . 
powder or the like, for spreading on the surface V' om non-Latin elements, as in regret, regard, reward, etc. 
of a razor-strop to give it its sharpening prop- Jlfc l JsffiLr' l ISSII f !iSMIEfi!?ClB*ffi!? 
erty. 
razor-shell (ra'zor-shel), n. The shell of a ra- 
zor-fish ; a bivalve mollusk of the genera Ensis, 
Solen, or Siliqua : so called from the shape of 
the shell, which resembles a razor. 
razor-stone (ra'zor-ston), n. Same as novacu- 
and such secondary forms as reeslablishment, reaction, etc., 
may be analyzed either as re- + establishment, re- -t- action, 
etc., or as reestablish + -ment, react + -ion, etc. Prefixed 
Compare has a dieresis over it : as, reestablish, reembarlr, etc. The 
hyphen is also sometimes used to bring out emphatically 
the sense of repetition or iteration : at, sung and re-sung. 
The dieresis is not used over other vowels than e when re- 
_ , -/ i8 prefixed : thus, reinforce, reunite, reabolisk. 
razor-strop (ra zor-strop), An implement reabsorb (re-ab-sorb'), v. t. [= F. reabsorber; 
for sharpening razors, bee strop. Also called a. s re- + absorb.] To draw or take in anew 
razor-strap. i -i A; f- 
razuret (ra'zhur), n. [= F. rasure, < L. rasura, 
< radere, pp. rasus, scrape: see rowel, raze*.] 
See rasure. 
razzia (rat'si-a), n. [< F. razzia = Pg. gazia, 
by absorption, imbibition, or swallowing, as 
something previously ejected, emitted, or put 
forth. 
. , 
gaziva, a raid, < Algerian Ar. gliazia (Turk. 
ffhazya) (pron. nearly razia in Algiers, the in- 
During the embryo stage of the higher vertebrata tem- 
porary organs appear, serve their purpose awhile, and are 
subsequently rtabsorbed. 
H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 458. 
itial letter gh being represented by the F. r reabsorption (re-ab-sorp'shon), n. [= F. re- 
grasseye), a military expedition against infidels, absorption; as re-+ absorption.'] The act of 
a crusade, a military incursion.] Properly, a reabsorbing, or the state of being reabsorbed. 
military raid intended for the subjection or reaccommodatet (re-a-kom'o-dat), . t. [< re- 
punishment of hostile or rebellious people by + accommodate.] To readjust; resettle; bring 
the carrying off of cattle, destruction of crops, into renewed order. 
etc. ; by extension, any plundering or destruc- King Edward, . . . discovering the Disturbance made 
tive incursion m force. Razzias were formerly com- b * * Change of Place, instantly sends to charge that 
mon in Arabian countries. They were practised by the Part > without giving them Time to re-accommodate them- 
Turkish authorities in Algeria and other provinces against selves. Baker, Chronicles, p. 121. 
tribes or districts which refused to pay taxes; and the rparmsp Crp a. \mr') r t T< re 4- //), 1 Tr. 
word was adopted, and the practice continued for a time reaccuse I re-a-KUZ ;, V. t. |1 re- -r aCCtwe.J 1 o 
by the French in Algeria after it* conquest accuse again or afresh ; make a renewed accu- 
sation against. 
Her'ford, . . . who re-accus'd 
Norfolk for words of treason he had us'd. 
Daniel, Civil Wan, L 60. 
reach 1 (rech), v.; pret. and pp. reached (for- 
merly raught), ppr. reaching. [Also dial., with 
shortened vowel, retch, and unassibilated reek; 
< ME. rechen (pret. raughte, raghte,jaght, rehte, 
reahte, pp. raught, raugf), < AS. riecan, rsecean 
' * reehte), reach, get into one's power, = 
It was probable he should hand the troops over to John 
Jones for the razzia against the Moulvie. 
W. H. Russell, Diary in India, n. 27. 
Rb. The chemical symbol of rubidium. 
R. C. An abbreviation of Roman Catholic. 
R. D. An abbreviation (o) of Boi/al Dragoons ; 
(b) of Rural Dean. 
R. E. An abbreviation (a) of Royal Engineers; 
(b) of Royal Exchange. 
re 1 (ra), n. [See gamut.'] In solmization, the 
syllable used for the second tone of the scale. 
In the scale of C this tone is D a tone which 
is therefore sometimes called re in France and 
Italy. 
' (re), n. [L., abl. of res, thing, case, matter, 
e2.} A word used ' 
in the phrase in re : as, 'in re 
wick,' in the case of Bardell against Pickwick: 
often elliptically re: as, re Bardell vs. Pick- 
wick; re Brown. 
re-. [ME. re- = OF. re-, F. re-, re- = Sp. Pg. re- 
reiken = MLG. reken, LG. reiken = OHG. reihhen, 
reichen, MHG. G. reichen, reach, extend, stretch 
out. The word has been more or less associat- 
with * he gjoup to which belong rack\rake\ 
v \*vj,,, n. L-^-J w* 'ca, LIHIIK. case, mailer, _. ^ 1.1 /- it ,-, J 
affair : see res*.} A word used in legal language T ' C ' etC- '- Goth - r *3"- et c-. stretch, and 
; tu _i . _ ,,__-. ? n~. i Li.reg-ere,por-rigere, Gr. opc-yetv, stretch, but an 
orig. connection is on phonetic grounds improb- 
able.] I. trans. 1. To hold or stretc 
^-reg-ere, por-rigerc, Gr. bpeyuv, stretch, but an 
ounds improb- 
J stre tch forth; 
extend outward. 
Reach hlther thy fl "K er ' and behold my hands; and 
. . - = . -, - __ D i? re- ' 
= It. re-, ri-, < L. re-, before a vowel ?r ^gen- **"* Wther ^ ha " d ' and thruat " int my 8 Jt, 
x , w . 
reach 
He shall flourish, 
And, like a mountain cedar, reach his branches 
To all the plains about him. 
SAak., Hen. VIII., v. 6. S3. 
To his 
She reached her hands, and in one bitter kiss 
Tasted his tears. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 307. 
2. To deliver by or as if by the outstretched 
hand; hand out or over; extend out to. 
First, Christ took the bread in his hands ; secondarily, 
he gave thanks ; thirdly, he broke it ; fourthly, he rauuht 
it them, saying, Take it. 
Tyndate, Ans. to Sir T. More, et. (Parker Soc., 1850), 
[p. 241. 
The prince he reacht Robin Hood a blow. 
Jiobin Hood and the Stranyer (Child's Ballads, v. 415). 
Reach a chair ; 
So; now, methinks, I feel a little ease. 
Shalt., Hen. VIII., iv. 2. 3. 
I stand at one end of the room, and reach things to her 
woman. Steele, Spectator, No. 137. 
3. To make a stretch to ; bring into contact by 
or as if by stretching out the hand; attain to 
by something held or stretched out : as, to reach 
a book on a shelf; to reach an object with a 
cane. 
He slough man and horse whom that he raught with his 
axe that he heilde with bothe hondes. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), li. 288. 
Wilt tliou reach stars, because they shine on thee ? 
Shot., T. G. of V., iii. 1. 156. 
4. To take, seize, or move by stretching out 
the hand, or by other effort. 
Than Troiell with tene the tourfer beheld, . . . 
Jteichct his reynis & his roile [rowel] strykes, 
Calres to the kyng with a kant wille. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 10215. 
The damesell hym thanked, and raught hym vp be the 
honde. Merlin (E. E. T. 8.), HI. 697. 
Lest therefore his now bolder hand 
Reach also of the tree of life, and eat, 
And live for ever. Milton, P. L., xi. 94. 
6. To attain to by movement or progress ; ar- 
rive at, physically or mentally; come or get to : 
as, to reach a port or destination; to reach 
high office or distinction; to reach a conclu- 
sion by study or by reasoning. 
And through the Tyrrhene Sea, by strength of toiling oars, 
Raught Italy at last. Drayton, Polyolbion, I 325. 
He must have reached a very advanced age. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 98. 
He [Dante] has shown us the way by which that coun- 
try far beyond the stars may be reached. 
Lowell, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 124. 
6. To extend to in continuity or scope ; stretch 
or be prolonged so as to extend to, literally or 
figuratively; attain to contact with or action 
upon ; penetrate to. 
There is no mercy in mankind can reach me. 
Fletcher, Bonduca, iv. 3. 
Thy desire . . . leads to no excess 
That reaches blame, but rather merits praise. 
Milton, P. L., iii. 697. 
The loss might be repaired again ; or, if not, could not 
however destroy us by reaching us In our greatest and 
highest concern. South, Sermons, II. L 
When he addresses himself to battle against the guar- 
dian angels, he stands like Teneriffe or Atlas ; his stature 
reaches the sky. Carlyle. 
7. To come or get at ; penetrate or obtain ac- 
cess to; extend cognizance, agency, or influ- 
ence to : as, to reach a person through his van- 
ity. 
The fewness and fulness of his [George Fox's] words have 
often struck even strangers with admiration, as they used 
to reach others with consolation. 
Penn, Rise and Progress of Quakers, v. 
It is difficult indeed in some places to reach the sense of 
the inspired writers. Bp. Atterbury, Sermons, II. ix. 
He [Atterbury] could be reached only by a bill of pains 
and penalties. Macaulay, Francis Atterbury. 
8f. To attain to an understanding of ; succeed 
in comprehending. 
But how her fawning partner fell I reach not, 
Unless caught by some springe of his own setting. 
Middleton, Women Beware Women, v. 1. 
Sir P. I reach you not. 
Lady P. Right, sir, your policy 
May bear it through thus. 
B. Jonmn, Volpone, iv. 1. 
II. intrans. 1. To stretch; have extent in 
course or direction ; continue to or toward a 
term, limit, or conclusion. 
By hym that ratihte on rode [the cross]. 
Piers Plowman (C), v. 179. 
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the 
earth, and the top of It reached to heaven. 
Gen. xxviii. 12. 
Thus far the fable reaches of Proteus, and his flock, at 
liberty and unrestrained. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, vii., Expl. 
