rak

n. [ AS. race; akin to OD. rake, D. reek, OHG. rehho, G. rechen, Icel. reka a shovel, and to Goth. rikan to heap up, collect, and perhaps to Gr. 'ore`gein to stretch out, and E. rack to stretch. Cf. Reckon. ] 1. An implement consisting of a headpiece having teeth, and a long handle at right angles to it, -- used for collecting hay, or other light things which are spread over a large surface, or for breaking and smoothing the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A toothed machine drawn by a horse, -- used for collecting hay or grain; a horserake. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. [ Perhaps a different word. ] (Mining) A fissure or mineral vein traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so; -- called also rake-vein. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gill rakes. (Anat.) See under 1st Gill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft. [ 1913 Webster ]

Raking course (Bricklaying), a course of bricks laid diagonally between the face courses in a thick wall, to strengthen it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. dial. Sw. raka to reach, and E. reach. ] The inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc.; especially (Naut.), the inclination of a mast or funnel, or, in general, of any part of a vessel not perpendicular to the keel. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Raked p. pr. & vb. n. Raking. ] [ AS. racian. See 1st Rake. ] 1. To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: To collect or draw together with laborious industry; to gather from a wide space; to scrape together; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To pass a rake over; to scrape or scratch with a rake for the purpose of collecting and clearing off something, or for stirring up the soil; as, to rake a lawn; to rake a flower bed. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To search through; to scour; to ransack. [ 1913 Webster ]

The statesman rakes the town to find a plot. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like clouds that rake the mountain summits. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Mil.) To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of; in naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so that the balls range the whole length of the deck. [ 1913 Webster ]

To rake up. (a) To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and cover with ashes. (b) To bring up; to search out and bring to notice again; as, to rake up old scandals. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. [ Icel. reika. Cf. Rake a debauchee. ] To walk about; to gad or ramble idly. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ See Rake a debauchee. ] To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life. Shenstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

To rake out (Falconry), to fly too far and wide from its master while hovering above waiting till the game is sprung; -- said of the hawk. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting; to scrape; to search minutely. [ 1913 Webster ]

One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To pass with violence or rapidity; to scrape along. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pas could not stay, but over him did rake. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ ‖ } n. [ Turk. rāqī arrack. ] A kind of ardent spirits used in southern Europe and the East, distilled from grape juice, grain, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ See Rakel. ] A lewd, dissolute fellow; a debauchee; a rake. [ 1913 Webster ]

It seldom doth happen, in any way of life, that a sluggard and a rakehell do not go together. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]