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Added 9 October 2026

rake

/ɹeɪk/ noun

In Latin: rāstellus, rāstrum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rake at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A dissolute man in fashionable society.
Degree of deviation from a horizontal plane.
the roof had a steep pitch
A long-handled tool with a row of teeth at its head; used to move leaves or loosen soil.

verb

Move through with or as if with a rake.
She raked her fingers through her hair
Level or smooth with a rake.
rake gravel
Sweep the length of.
The gunfire raked the coast

Origin

From Middle English rake [and other forms], from Old English raca, racu, ræce (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Germanic *rakō, *rekô (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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