n. [ OF. rai, F. rais, fr. L. radius a beam or ray, staff, rod, spoke of a wheel. Cf. Radius. ] 1. One of a number of lines or parts diverging from a common point or center, like the radii of a circle; as, a star of six rays. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A radiating part of a flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius. See Radius. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) (a) One of the radiating spines, or cartilages, supporting the fins of fishes. (b) One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Physics) (a) A line of light or heat proceeding from a radiant or reflecting point; a single element of light or heat propagated continuously; as, a solar ray; a polarized ray. (b) One of the component elements of the total radiation from a body; any definite or limited portion of the spectrum; as, the red ray; the violet ray. See Illust. under Light. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Sight; perception; vision; -- from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen. [ 1913 Webster ]

All eyes direct their rays
On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Geom.) One of a system of diverging lines passing through a point, and regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions. See Half-ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bundle of rays. (Geom.) See Pencil of rays, below. --
Extraordinary ray (Opt.), that one of two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which does not follow the ordinary law of refraction. --
Ordinary ray (Opt.) that one of the two parts of a ray divided by double refraction which follows the usual or ordinary law of refraction. --
Pencil of rays (Geom.), a definite system of rays. --
Ray flower, or
Ray floret (Bot.), one of the marginal flowers of the capitulum in such composite plants as the aster, goldenrod, daisy, and sunflower. They have an elongated, strap-shaped corolla, while the corollas of the disk flowers are tubular and five-lobed. --
Ray point (Geom.), the common point of a pencil of rays. --
Roentgen ray,
Röntgen ray fld>(Phys.), a form of electromagnetic radiation generated in a very highly exhausted vacuum tube by an electrical discharge; now more commonly called X-ray. It is composed of electromagnetic radiation of wavelength shorter than that of ultraviolet light but longer than that of gamma rays. It is capable of passing through many bodies opaque to light, and producing photographic and fluorescent effects by which means pictures showing the internal structure of opaque objects are made, called X-rays, radiographs, sciagraphs, X-ray photographs, radiograms. So called from the discoverer, W. C. Röntgen. --
X ray, the Röntgen ray; -- so called by its discoverer because of its enigmatical character, x being an algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

v. t. [ An aphetic form of array; cf. Beray. ] 1. To array. [ Obs. ] Sir T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To mark, stain, or soil; to streak; to defile. [ Obs. ] “The filth that did it ray.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Array; order; arrangement; dress. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach. ] (Zool.) (a) Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Raiae, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc. (b) In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See Skate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari syn. Stoasodon narinari) of the Southern United States and the West Indies; also called the spotted eagle ray and white-spotted eagle ray. --
Butterfly ray, a short-tailed American sting ray (Pteroplatea Maclura), having very broad pectoral fins. --
Devil ray. See Sea Devil. --
Eagle ray, any large ray of the family Myliobatidae, or Aetobatidae. The common European species (Myliobatis aquila) is called also whip ray, and miller. --
Electric ray, or
Cramp ray, a torpedo. --
Starry ray, a common European skate (Raia radiata). --
Sting ray, any one of numerous species of rays of the family Trygonidae having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also stingaree. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Rayed p. pr. & vb. n. Raying. ] [ Cf. OF. raier, raiier, rayer, L. radiare to irradiate. See Ray, n., and cf. Radiate. ] 1. To mark with long lines; to streak. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ From Ray, n. ] To send forth or shoot out; to cause to shine out; as, to ray smiles. [ R. ] Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To shine, as with rays. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Ar. ra'iyah a herd, a subject, fr. ra'a to pasture, guard. ] A person not a Mohammedan, who pays the capitation tax. [ Turkey. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Etymol. of ray is uncertain. ] (Bot.) A perennial European grass (Lolium perenne); -- called also rye grass, and red darnel. See Darnel, and Grass. [ 1913 Webster ]

Italian ray grass or
Italian rye grass. See Darnel, and Grass. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Destitute of rays; hence, dark; not illuminated; blind; as, a rayless sky; rayless eyes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A synthetic fiber, made of thin filaments of regenerated cellulose, extruded from a solution of viscose. Called also viscose fiber and viscose rayon fiber. [ PJC ]

2. a textile fabric made from rayon{ 1 }. [ PJC ]