World Book 1997 4.0

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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: reactive - readily</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="reactive"> reactive, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. tending to react. Ex. Moreover, all the steps, apart from the first, require little or no energy of activation, because they are all reactions of highly reactive atoms with molecules (K. D. Wadsworth). <DD> 2. having to do with or characterized by reaction, especially in politics, or reactance. adv. reactively. noun reactiveness. </DL> <A NAME="reactivecircuit"> reactive circuit,<DL COMPACT><DD> a circuit with impedance from inductance or capacity or to both. </DL> <A NAME="reactivecoil"> reactive coil,<DL COMPACT><DD> a wire coil, often with an iron core, to produce reactance. </DL> <A NAME="reactivedrop"> reactive drop,<DL COMPACT><DD> the fall of potential in a circuit from reactance. </DL> <A NAME="reactivepower"> reactive power,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Electricity.) the product of the effective current in amperes, the effective voltage in volts, and the sine of the angular phase difference between them. The unit of reactive power is the var. </DL> <A NAME="reactivity"> reactivity, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the power or condition of being reactive, as in a chemical combination. Ex. The existence of such ... ions as intermediates in organic reactions is well established, and their reactivity can be readily measured by the rate at which they react with powerful acidic (negative) ions (R. F. Homer). </DL> <A NAME="reactor"> reactor, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a device for splitting atoms to produce atomic energy without causing an explosion; pile; nuclear reactor; atomic reactor. Reactors are special assemblies for the production of a controlled chain reaction and consist of layers of fissionable material, such as uranium, spaced with moderators, such as graphite and heavy water, which slow down the speed and number of the neutrons intended for splitting the uranium nuclei. Ex. The goal is to find economical ways of chemically treating water from the Columbia River so that it can be used to cool Hanford reactors operating at higher power than at present (Science). <DD> 2. a person or animal that reacts positively to a medical test, such as for allergy. <DD> 3. a person or animal that reacts. <DD> 4. (Electricity.) a type of condenser characterized by slow resistance and high inductance. </DL> <A NAME="read"> read (1), verb, read, reading, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>v.t. 1. to get the meaning of (writing or printing). Ex. We read books. The blind girl reads special raised print by touching it. I know enough German to read German. <DD> 2. to find out from writing or print. Ex. to read the news. <DD> 3. to speak out loud (printed or written words); say aloud. Ex. Please read this story to me. <DD> 4. to show by letters, figures, or signs. Ex. The thermometer reads 70 degrees. The ticket reads "From New York to Boston." (SYN) indicate, register. <DD> 5. to give as the word or words in a particular passage. Ex. For "fail," a misprint, read "fall." <DD> 6. to study (a subject). Ex. He is reading law. <DD> 7. (Figurative.) to get the meaning of; understand. Ex. He could read distrust on my face. God reads men's hearts. (SYN) comprehend. <DD> 8. to receive and understand (a person's voice transmitting over radio). Ex. "This is a pilot. I'm in the tower--if we can get you in we'll try to talk to you. Do you read me, 79-X ... ? (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). <DD> 9. (Figurative.) to give the meaning of; interpret. Ex. A prophet reads the future. (SYN) explain, decipher. <DD> 10. (Figurative.) to introduce (something not expressed or directly indicated) by one's manner of understanding or interpreting. Ex. She read a hostile intent in a friendly letter. (SYN) infer. <DD> 11. to bring or put by reading. Ex. He reads himself to sleep. <DD> 12. to give (a lecture or lesson) as a reprimand. <DD> 13a. to absorb information from (a punch card, magnetic tape, or other input device). Ex. The ... Unit both punches and reads paper tape or unit cards that activate other equipment (Wall Street Journal). <DD> b. to absorb (information) this way. Ex. If the computer is told to read the contents of address 105, it will read ... the column designated 105 (W. M. Chow and J. C. Sippl). <DD> 14. to decode (a genetic message). Ex. Each transfer RNA is succeeded by another one, carrying its own amino acid, until the complete message in the messenger RNA has been "read" (Scientific American). <DD>v.i. 1. to get the meaning of something written or printed. Ex. to learn to read and write. The blind read with their fingers. <DD> 2. to learn from writing or print. Ex. We read of heroes of other days. <DD> 3. to say aloud the words one sees or touches. Ex. to read to a child before bedtime. <DD> 4. to study by reading. Ex. He ... was ... set to read with the best private tutors that could be found (Samuel Butler). <DD> 5. to produce a certain impression when read; mean; be in effect when read. Ex. This does not read like a child's composition. <DD> 6. to convey a statement when read. Ex. The telegram reads as follows. <DD> 7. to be worded in a certain way. Ex. This line reads differently in the first edition. <DD> 8. (Figurative.) to admit of being read or interpreted. Ex. a rule that reads two different ways. <DD>noun (Informal.) 1. an act or spell of reading. Ex. Woe betide those who settle down with this book to a steady read through 550 pages from beginning to end (Economist). <DD> 2. a thing to read; matter for reading. Ex. Serious critics dismiss her writing as nothing but "a jolly good read" (Time). The novel itself is ... a hard read (Listener). expr. read between the lines. See under line (1). expr. read in, to feed information into a computer. Ex. All data has to be read in to computers, and there is great interest in machines which can do their own reading (New Scientist). expr. read into, to interpret in a certain way, often attributing more than intended. Ex. He read into the statement a deep insult. He reads something of himself into the composition (Arthur C. Ainger). expr. read out, <DD> a. to transmit (data) by radio transmitter. Ex. Three radio receiving stations, to read out telemetry data from the satellite, are being established in Brazil (New York Times). <DD> b. to transmit information from the storage of a computer. Ex. This system will read out continuously inreal-time to a new second generation of still relatively simple ... receivers (Science Journal). expr. read out of, to expel from (a political party or other group). Ex. [He] would be read out of the U.N. probably by the next General Assembly (Newsweek). expr. read up on, to study by reading about. Ex. to read up on the latest scientific advances. </DL> <A NAME="read"> read (2), adjective, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. having knowledge gained by reading; informed. Ex. a well-read man. <DD>verb the past tense and past participle of read. Ex. I read that book last year. She has read it too. </DL> <A NAME="readability"> readability, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> readable quality. Ex. Some novels struck a balance between traditionalist readability and avant-garde obscurity (Renato Barilli). </DL> <A NAME="readable"> readable, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. easy or pleasant to read; interesting. Ex. Treasure Island is a very readable story. <DD> 2. capable of being read; legible. noun readableness. adv. readably. </DL> <A NAME="readapt"> readapt, transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to adapt anew. </DL> <A NAME="readdress"> readdress, transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. to put a new address on. <DD> 2. to speak to again. <DD> 3. to apply (oneself) anew. </DL> <A NAME="reader"> reader, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a person who reads. Ex. a good reader, a light reader. <DD> 2. a book for learning and practicing reading. <DD> 3. a person employed to read manuscripts and estimate their fitness for publication. Ex. The ideal publisher's reader should have two perfections--perfect taste and perfect knowledge of what the various kinds of other people deem to be taste (Arnold Bennett). <DD> 4. =proofreader. <DD> 5a. (Especially British.) an instructor in certain universities. Ex. He came under Dr. Martin Johnson, the present Reader in Astrophysics at Birmingham (New Scientist). <DD> b. an assistant who grades and corrects examinations and reads papers for a professor. <DD> 6. a person who reads or recites to entertain an audience. <DD> 7. a person who reads aloud the lessons or other parts of the service in a church. <DD> 8. an electronic device that absorbs information from punch cards, magnetic tape, or other input devices. Ex. The brain of the control is a punched-tape reader which simultaneously reads 140 channels, each of which provides information for a specific job (Kenneth R. Burchard). <DD> 9. a device for reading microfilm, microfiche, or other printed material reduced in size. </DL> <A NAME="readership"> readership, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the reading audience, especially of a particular author, publication, or type of reading matter. Ex. The distribution of readership has not been determined, but undoubtedly a large number of these readers are young (Atlantic). <DD> 2. the office of reader, especially in a university. </DL> <A NAME="readily"> readily, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. quickly; promptly; without delay. Ex. A bright boy answers readilywhen called on. <DD> 2. easily; without difficulty. Ex. Everything around me is within easy reach and readily accessible. <DD> 3. willingly. </DL> <A HREF="readin.dic">NEXT</A>