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Added 7 October 2026

ray

/ɹeɪ/ noun

In Latin: radius Wiktionary

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

A column of light (as from a beacon).
A branch of an umbel or an umbelliform inflorescence.
(mathematics) a straight line extending from a point.

verb

Emit as rays.
That tower rays a laser beam for miles across the sky
Extend or spread outward from a center or focus or inward towards a center.
spokes radiate from the hub of the wheel
Expose to radiation.
irradiate food

Origin

Via Middle English, borrowed from Old French rai, from Latin radius (“staff, stake, spoke”). Doublet of radius.

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

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