<B>readiness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the condition of being ready; preparedness. <BR> <I>Ex. to be in readiness for any emergency. Everything is in readiness for the party.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>quickness; promptness. <BR> <I>Ex. His readiness in reacting prevented a dogfight.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>ease; facility. <BR> <I>Ex. readiness of thought.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>willingness. <BR> <I>Ex. Her cheerful readiness to help made her a valued worker.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="reading">
<B>reading, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act or process of getting the meaning of written or printed words. <BR> <I>Ex. The teaching of reading has not changed in a generation (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the study of books or other written material. <BR> <I>Ex. Reading has objective values, such as giving facts and arousing interests (Emory S. Bogardus). Reading maketh a full man (Francis Bacon).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a speaking out loud of written or printed words; public recital. <BR> <I>Ex. Reading aloud requires stamina in the reader as well as the read to (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the written or printed matter read or to be read. <BR> <I>Ex. It is in newspapers that we must look for main reading of this generation (Thomas De Quincey). Remembering his early love of poetry and fiction, she unlocked a bookcase, and took down several books that had been excellent reading in their day (Hawthorne).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>the amount shown by letters, figures, or signs on the scale of an instrument. <BR> <I>Ex. The reading of the thermometer was 96 degrees.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>the form of a given word or passage in a particular copy or edition of a book. <BR> <I>Ex. No two editions have the same reading for that passage.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Figurative.) interpretation. <BR> <I>Ex. Each actor gave the lines a different reading.</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>the extent to which one has read; literary knowledge. <DD><B> 9. </B>formal recital of a bill, or part of it, before a legislature. In Congress, a bill is given three readings (usually by title only) during its passage. The British Parliament gives a bill three readings, the fullest being the second. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>that reads. <BR> <I>Ex. the reading public.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>used in or for reading. <BR> <I>Ex. reading glasses.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>of or for reading. <BR> <I>Ex. good reading material.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="readingaccelerator">
<B>reading accelerator,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a mechanical device adjusted for different speeds to limit the time for reading each line of a book, used to increase reading speed. </DL>
<A NAME="readingchair">
<B>reading chair,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a chair having high broad armrests and a reading desk attached to the back, so that a person could sit backwards on the chair and rest his elbows on the armrests while he reads. Reading chairs were first made in the 1700's. </DL>
<A NAME="readingdesk">
<B>reading desk,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a desk to hold a book while a person reads, especially when standing; lectern. </DL>
<A NAME="readingglass">
<B>reading glass,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a magnifying glass usually used to read fine print or details of maps. </DL>
<A NAME="readingroom">
<B>reading room,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a special room for reading,such as that in a library or club. </DL>
<B>readjust, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to adjust again; arrange again. <BR> <I>Ex. the day hospital ... for patients who ... need help in readjusting to the world at large (Time).</I> noun <B>readjuster.</B> noun <B>readjustment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="readmission">
<B>readmission, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> admission again or anew. </DL>
<A NAME="readmit">
<B>readmit, </B>transitive verb, <B>-mitted,</B> <B>-mitting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to admit again. </DL>
<A NAME="readmittance">
<B>readmittance, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> permission to enter again; readmission. <BR> <I>Ex. Humbly petitioning a readmittance into his college (Thomas Warton).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="readonlymemory">
<B>read-only memory,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a computer memory which stores permanent data. <BR> <I>Ex. Changing the program may require the physical replacement of a read-only memory (Wallace B. Riley).</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> (Abbr:) ROM (no periods). </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="readopt">
<B>readopt, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to adopt again. <BR> <I>Ex. The boundary which had first passed was readopted by a large vote (Bayard Taylor).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="readorn">
<B>readorn, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to adorn anew. </DL>
<A NAME="readout">
<B>readout, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the display, usually in digits, of processed information by a computer. <BR> <I>Ex. This machine is a simple digital computer which allows the rating of up to 20 people ... After all members have made their choices the machine gives a digital readout of the mean rating for each member of the group (New Scientist).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the transmission of quantitative data such as that taken by a telemeter. <DD><B> 3. </B>a device used for facilitating such a display or transmission. </DL>
<A NAME="readsorb">
<B>readsorb, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to adsorb again or anew. </DL>
<A NAME="ready">
<B>ready, </B>adjective, <B>readier,</B> <B>readiest,</B> verb, <B>readied,</B> <B>readying,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>prepared for action or use at once; prepared. <BR> <I>Ex. Dinner is ready. We were ready to start at nine. The soldiers are ready for battle. The cannons are pointed, and ready to roar (Byron).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>willing. <BR> <I>Ex. She is ready to forgive. The soldiers were ready to die for their country.</I> <B>disposed.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>quick; prompt. <BR> <I>Ex. a ready welcome.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>quick in thought or action; dexterous. <BR> <I>Ex. The speaker has a ready wit.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>likely; liable; apt. <BR> <I>Ex. She is too ready to find fault.</I> (SYN) prone. <DD><B> 6. </B>easy to get at; very easy to reach; immediately available. <BR> <I>Ex. ready money.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to make ready; prepare. <BR> <I>Ex. The explorers readied themselves for the winter expedition.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the condition or position of being prepared for action. <BR> <I>Ex. The soldiers walked down the road with their guns at the ready.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang.) ready money; cash. <BR><I>expr. <B>make ready,</B> </I>to prepare. <BR> <I>Ex. His companions made ready to fight (William Longman).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>ready up,</B> </I>to make ready; prepare for a special purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. It was the women's job to ready up the house for the party; the men went out to buy the food and drinks.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="readymade">
<B>ready-made, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>ready for immediate use; made for anybody who will buy; not made to order. <BR> <I>Ex. Department stores sell ready-made clothes.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) having little or no individuality, as if made by mass production, and kept in readiness for any use or occasion. <BR> <I>Ex. ready-made opinions. They were ... spies and agents ready-made for either party (Robert Louis Stevenson).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a ready-made object. <BR> <I>Ex. Some maternity shops, in addition to selling ready-mades, will custom-design clothes (Maclean's).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an ordinary object, such as a bicycle wheel or a metal rack, mounted and treated as if it were a work of art, especially in Dada. <BR> <I>Ex. Duchamp originally fathered the movement with "ready-mades," ordinary objects from our environment (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="readymix">
<B>ready-mix, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> that contains the proper inactive ingredients and is ready for use after mixing with water, milk, or other, usually liquid, substance. <BR> <I>Ex. ready-mix cement, ready-mix cake.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a preparation that is ready for use after mixing with a liquid solution. </DL>
<A NAME="readyreckoner">
<B>ready reckoner,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a table, or collection of tables, showing at a glance the results of such arithmetical calculations as are most frequently required in ordinary business, housekeeping, or laboratory calculations. </DL>
<A NAME="readyreserve">
<B>Ready Reserve,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) reserve members of the armed forces who train at certain intervals in preparation for active duty in an emergency. </DL>
<A NAME="readyreservist">
<B>Ready Reservist,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a member of the Ready Reserve. </DL>
<A NAME="readyroom">
<B>ready room,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a room where members of an aircrew meet to receive a briefing or a call to fly. </DL>
<A NAME="readytowear">
<B>ready-to-wear, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> ready-made for wear. <BR> <I>Ex. Others prefer to make their own clothes because they feel that ready-to-wear garments have too little individuality (Mary Ellen Roach).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> ready-made clothing. <BR> <I>Ex. He would like some day to design ready-to-wear to be manufactured in America (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<B>reaffirm, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to affirm again or anew. <BR> <I>Ex. The electors have since ... reaffirmed and strengthened that decision (Spectator).</I> noun <B>reaffirmation.</B> noun <B>reaffirmer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="reafforest">
<B>reafforest, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to cover again with forest; reforest. noun <B>reafforestation.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="reaganomics">
<B>Reaganomics, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the economic policies of President Ronald Reagan. <BR> <I>Ex. Higher federal deficits and nine-per-cent unemployment ... were precisely the consequences critics of Reaganomics had repeatedly forecast (Maclean's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="reagent">
<B>reagent, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a substance used to detect the presence of other substances by the chemical reactions it causes. <BR> <I>Ex. The addition to the blood of small amounts of reagents such as citrates, which can bind chemically and inactivate calcium ions ... prevents coagulation quite effectively (K. S. Spiegler).</I> </DL>
