World Book 1997 4.0

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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: rating - rat race</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <A HREF="a.dic">A</A> <A HREF="b.dic">B</A> <A HREF="c.dic">C</A> <A HREF="d.dic">D</A> <A HREF="e.dic">E</A> <A HREF="f.dic">F</A> <A HREF="g.dic">G</A> <A HREF="h.dic">H</A> <A HREF="i.dic">I</A> <A HREF="j.dic">J</A> <A HREF="k.dic">K</A> <A HREF="l.dic">L</A> <A HREF="m.dic">M</A> <A HREF="n.dic">N</A> <A HREF="o.dic">O</A> <A HREF="p.dic">P</A> <A HREF="q.dic">Q</A> <A HREF="r.dic">R</A> <A HREF="s.dic">S</A> <A HREF="t.dic">T</A> <A HREF="u.dic">U</A> <A HREF="v.dic">V</A> <A HREF="w.dic">W</A> <A HREF="x.dic">X</A> <A HREF="y.dic">Y</A> <A HREF="z.dic">Z</A> <A NAME="rating"> rating (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a class; grade. <DD> 2a. the position in a class or grade. Ex. the rating of a seaman, the rating of a ship according to tonnage. <DD> b. an enlisted man, as in the Royal Navy or British merchant navy. Ex. The Eagle ... will embark 400 relatives of officers and ratings for a day at sea (Sunday Times). <DD> 3. (U.S.) a level of merit or popularity established by a survey. Ex. a television program with a high rating. After a fortnight of low ratings and blows from the reviewers, an emergency meeting of network bigwigs was held to try to pep up the show (Newsweek). <DD> 4. an amount fixed as a rate. Ex. a rating of 80 per cent in English. <DD> 5. =a credit rating. <DD> 6. (British.) the fixing of the amount of a tax. <DD> 7. the operating characteristics of a machine, such as voltage or horsepower. </DL> <A NAME="rating"> rating (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act of scolding; reproving. </DL> <A NAME="ratio"> ratio, noun, pl. -tios.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the relation between two numbers or quantities expressed as a quotient; relative magnitude. "He has sheep and cows in the ratio of 10 to 3" means that he has ten sheep for every three cows, or 3 1/3 times as many sheep as cows. <DD> 2. a quotient expressing this relation. The ratio between two quantities is the number of times one contains the other. The ratio of 3 to 6 is written as 3:6, 3/6, or 1/2; the ratio of 6 to 3 is written as 6:3, 6/3, 6 / 3, or 2. The ratios of 3 to 5 and 6 to 10 are the same. <DD> 3. proportional relation or rate, especially of gold to silver. </DL> <A NAME="ratiocinate"> ratiocinate, intransitive verb, -nated, -nating.<DL COMPACT><DD> to carry on a process of reasoning; reason. Ex. Besides (I ratiocinated) I was not the first rogue male to fall for the charms of a young thing only five-sixths his age (Punch). noun ratiocinator. </DL> <A NAME="ratiocination"> ratiocination, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. reasoning; process of reasoning. Ex. On the way home, I tried to envision the rival patterns of ratiocination (New Yorker). <DD> 2. a conclusion arrived at by reasoning. Ex. subtle definitions, or intricate ratiocinations (Samuel Johnson). </DL> <A NAME="ratiocinative"> ratiocinative, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or characterized by close or careful reasoning. Ex. Hoyle's book abounds in theories which make Sherlock Holmes's ratiocinative high jinks look as unexciting as an old calabash pipe (Scientific American). </DL> <A NAME="ratiocinatory"> ratiocinatory, adjective. =ratiocinative.</DL> <A NAME="ration"> ration, noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a fixed allowance of food; daily allowance of food for a person or animal. Ex. Rations of rice have been provided for those engaged on this work, and its distribution arranged by the village (Science News). <DD> 2. a portion of anything dealt out. Ex. rations of sugar, gasoline and oil rations. (SYN) share, allotment. <DD>v.t. 1. to allow only certain amounts to. Ex. to ration citizens when supplies are scarce. <DD> 2. to distribute in limited amounts. Ex. to ration gasoline. Food is rationed to the public during times of shortage, such as crop failure. <DD> 3. to supply with rations. Ex. to ration an army. </DL> <A NAME="rational"> rational, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. sensible; reasonable; reasoned out. Ex. When people are very angry, they seldom act in a rational way. (SYN) sound, wise, judicious, sane. <DD> 2. able to think and reason clearly. Ex. As children grow older, they become more rational. The patient appeared perfectly rational. <DD> 3. of reason; based on reasoning. Ex. There is a rational explanation for thunder and lightning. <DD> 4. (Mathematics.) <DD> a. of or having to do with a rational number. <DD> b. involving no root that cannot be extracted. <DD> 5. (Prosody.) of or having to do with a syllable in Greek or Latin verse that has the metrical value needed to fit the pattern. <DD>noun 1. that which is rational or reasonable. <DD> 2. =rational number. adv. rationally. noun rationalness. </DL> <A NAME="rationale"> rationale, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the fundamental reason; the whys and wherefores. Ex. We must examine the rationale of the rule (Edgar Allan Poe). <DD> 2. a statement of reasons; reasoned principles. Ex. The rationale of this policy was spelled out in letters written by Stalin and published in "Bolshevik" on October 2, 1952 (W. Averell Harriman). </DL> <A NAME="rationalise"> rationalise, transitive verb, intransitive verb, -ised, -ising.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) rationalize. </DL> <A NAME="rationalism"> rationalism, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the principle or habit of accepting reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct. <DD> 2. the philosophical doctrine that reason is in itself a source of knowledge, independent of the senses. <DD> 3. (Theology.) the examination of dogma or the explanation of the supernatural by reason. </DL> <A NAME="rationalist"> rationalist, noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a person who accepts reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct. <DD> 2. an adherent of the philosophical theory of rationalism. <DD> 3. a believer in the theological doctrine of rationalism. <DD>adj. =rationalistic. </DL> <A NAME="rationalistic"> rationalistic, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of rationalism or rationalists. Ex. Modern man has become so rationalistic in his attitude that his tendency is toward a nonrecognition and denial of the unconscious (New Yorker). adv. rationalistically. </DL> <A NAME="rationalistical"> rationalistical, adjective. =rationalistic.</DL> <A NAME="rationality"> rationality, noun, pl. -ties.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the possession of reason; reasonableness. Ex. The man is odd in some ways, but no one doubts his rationality. <DD> 2. a rational or reasonable view, practice, reason, or doctrine. </DL> <A NAME="rationalization"> rationalization, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the act of rationalizing. Ex. Thus, what Taylor did for rationalization of physical work, the psychologists do for the mental and emotional aspect of the worker (Erich Fromm). <DD> 2. the fact or state of being rationalized. </DL> <A NAME="rationalize"> rationalize, verb, -ized, -izing.<DL COMPACT><DD>v.t. 1. to make rational or conformable to reason. Ex. When life has been duly rationalized by science, it will be seen that among a man's duties, care of the body is imperative (Herbert Spencer). <DD> 2. to treat or explain in a rational manner. <DD> 3. to find (often unconsciously) an explanation or excuse for. Ex. She rationalizes her gluttony by thinking, "I must eat enough to keep up my strength." <DD> 4. to explain (myth, legend, or other belief) in terms of contemporary scientific knowledge. <DD> 5. to organize or run (a business, industry, operation, or institution) on economically sound or proven methods of administration and production. Ex. He wanted the six hundred-odd societies to rationalize themselves and offer better terms (Punch). <DD> 6. (Mathematics.) to clear from irrational quantities. <DD>v.i. to find excuses (often unconsciously) for one's desires. noun rationalizer. </DL> <A NAME="rationalnumber"> rational number,<DL COMPACT><DD> any number that can be expressed as an integer or as a ratio between two integers, excluding zero as a denominator; real number. 2, 5, and -1/2 are rational numbers. </DL> <A NAME="rationing"> rationing, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the distribution of scarce foods, food, or other items in rations. Ex. During World War II many countries imposed rationing to conserve materials needed for the war effort. Gasoline rationing is one method of allocating gas in fair shares during a gas shortage. </DL> <A NAME="ratite"> ratite, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. having a flat breastbone with no keel. Ex. Ostriches and emus are ratite birds. <DD> 2. of or having to do with ratite birds. <DD>noun a ratite bird. </DL> <A NAME="ratkangaroo"> rat kangaroo,<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of certain small kangaroos about the size of a rabbit, found in Australia and Tasmania. </DL> <A NAME="ratline"> ratline or ratlin, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. one of the small ropes that cross the shrouds of a ship, used as steps for going aloft. <DD> 2. the small, tarred rope from which these are made. </DL> <A NAME="ratlinehitch"> ratline hitch, =clove hitch.</DL> <A NAME="rato"> RATO or rato, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Aeronautics.) a unit of one or more rockets, providing extra power to speed up an airplane during take-off. </DL> <A NAME="ratoon"> ratoon, noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun a shoot springing up from the root of a plant after it has been cropped. Ex. ratoons of sugar cane. <DD>v.i., v.t. to send up or cause to send up new shoots after being cropped. Also, rattoon. </DL> <A NAME="ratproof"> ratproof, adjective, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. so made that rats cannot enter. <DD>v.t. to make ratproof. Ex. The modern farmsteading is ratproofed, to deny food to rats; the modern town warehouse is ratproofed, to deny water to rats (Sunday Times). </DL> <A NAME="ratrace"> rat race,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a frantic confusion or scramble, especially as applied to senseless competition; tiring but inescapable routine. Ex. the rat race of preposterously expensive dances, clothes-buying, and date-collecting that eventually turns schoolgirls into New York debutantes (New Yorker). </DL> <A HREF="ratracer.dic">NEXT</A>