Had 
HACCOON. SeeTJRsus. 
RACE, in genealogy, a lineage or extrac* 
tion continned from father to son. 
RACEMUS, in botany, a term that pro- 
perly signifies a cluster of grapes ; but scien- 
tifically it is used to signify a mode of 
flowering, in which the flowers placed along 
a common foot stalk are furnished with pro- 
per foot-stalks, proceedingas lateral branches 
from the common flower-stalk. This is ex- 
emplified in the vine and cnrrant tree. 
RACK, an infernal engine of torture, 
furnished with pullies and chords, &c. for 
extorting confession from criminals. This 
instrument is happily banished from almost 
every civilized state of the world. The trial 
by the rack was never known to the law of 
England. It was proposed in the privy 
council to put Felton, the assassin of the 
Duke of Buckingham, to the rack, in order 
to discover his accomplices ; but the judges, 
being consulted, unanimously declared, that 
no such proceeding could be admitted by 
the laws of England. 
Rack, Arac, or Arrac, in commerce, a 
spirituous liquor made by the Tartars of 
mare’s milk, which is left to be sour, and 
afterwards distilled twice or thrice. Rack 
is also a spirituous liquor which the English 
get from Batavia or Malacca, of which there 
are three sorts, the one being extracted 
from the cocoa-tree, the second from rice, 
and the third from sugar ; but the first is 
the best, and most in use. It is made of 
the blossom bunch of the cocoa-tree: for 
which purpose they tie the bunch while it is 
still, wrapped up within its cod, or mem- 
brane, with a piece of packthread, and then 
with a knife make a cross cut in that bunch, 
a tittle above the place where it is tied, and 
adapt a pitcher to it to receive the liquor, 
which is called toddy, and is vinous, pala- 
table, and sweet : others use a bamboo-cane 
instead of a pitcher. Having thus drawn 
the liquor, they let it ferment, and after- 
wards distil it. 
Rack rent, the full extended yearly va- 
lue of the land, &c. let by lease, payable 
by tenants for life or years. 
RACKET, a kind of bat to strike the 
ball with at tennis ; usually consisting of 
a lattice or net-work of catgut strained 
very tight in a circle of wood, with a shaft 
or handle. 
RADIANT, or Radiating point, in 
optics, is any point qf a visible object from 
whence rays proceed. 
RADIATION, ths act of a body emit- 
11 A F 
ting or difliising rays of light all round, as 
from a centre. 
RADICAL, in general, something that 
serves as a basis or foundation. In gram- 
mar, we give the appellation radical to pri- 
mitive words, in contradistinction to com- 
pounds and derivatives. Algebraists also 
speak of the radical sign or quantities, 
which is the character expressing their 
roots. 
RADICAL vinegar, in chemistry. When 
acetate of copper, reduced to powder, is 
put into a retort and distilled, there comes 
over a liquid at first nearly colourless and 
almost insipid, and aftemards a highly con- 
centrated acid. The distillation is to be 
continued till the bottom of the retort is 
red hot. What remains in it then is only a 
powder of the colour of copper. The acid 
product, which should be received in a 
vessel by itself, is tinged green by a little 
copper which passes along with it; but 
when distilled over again in a gentle heat, 
it is obtained perfectly colourless and trans- 
parent. The acid thus obtained is exceed- 
ing pungent and concentrated. It was 
formerly distinguished by the names of ra- 
dical vinegar, and vinegar of Venus ; it has 
since been found to be acetous acid combin- 
ed wdth a new dose of oxygen, and is called 
acetic acid. 
RADICLE. See Plants. 
RADIUS, in geometry, tbe semi-dia- 
meter of a circle, or a right line drawn 
from the centre to the circumference. In 
trigonometry, the radius is termed the 
whole sine, or sine of 90 degrees, 
RADIX, or root, in mathematics, is a cer- 
tain finite expression or function, which' 
being evolved or expanded, according to 
certain rules, produces a series. See 
Series. That finite expression or radix, 
is the value of the infinite series : thus i = 
.3333, &c. I = .till, &c. In the same way 
z=l — — r’-f &c. 
RAFT, a sort of float, formed by an as- 
semblage of various planks or pieces of' 
timber, fastened together side by side, so 
as to be conveyed more commodiously to 
any short distance in a harbour or road 
than it they were separate. The timber 
and plank, with which merchant ships are 
laden, in the dififerent parts of the Baltic, 
are attached together in this manner, in 
order to float them olf to the shipping. 
