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Ray vs Row - What's the difference?

ray | row |

As a proper noun ray

is from a (etyl) nickname meaning a king or a roe.

As a noun row is

trench, ditch.

ray

English

Etymology 1

Via (etyl), from (etyl) rai, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A beam of light or radiation.
    • I saw a ray of light through the clouds.
  • (zoology) A rib-like reinforcement of bone or cartilage in a fish's fin.
  • (zoology) One of the spheromeres of a radiate, especially one of the arms of a starfish or an ophiuran.
  • (botany) A radiating part of a flower or plant; the marginal florets of a compound flower, such as an aster or a sunflower; one of the pedicels of an umbel or other circular flower cluster; radius.
  • (obsolete) Sight; perception; vision; from an old theory of vision, that sight was something which proceeded from the eye to the object seen.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • All eyes direct their rays / On him, and crowds turn coxcombs as they gaze.
  • (mathematics) A line extending indefinitely in one direction from a point.
  • (colloquial) A tiny amount.
    • Unfortunately he didn't have a ray of hope .
    Derived terms
    * death ray * gamma ray * manta ray * ray gun * stingray * X-ray

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To emit something as if in rays.
  • To radiate as if in rays
    • (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail.

    • Etymology 3

    Shortened from array.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To arrange.
  • (obsolete) To stain or soil; to defile.
  • * 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , VI.4:
    • From his soft eyes the teares he wypt away, / And form his face the filth that did it ray .

    Etymology 4

    From its sound, by analogy with the letters chay, jay, gay, kay, which it resembles graphically.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The name of the letter ?/?, one of two which represent the r sound in Pitman shorthand.
    • Related terms
    * ar, in Latin and the name of the other Pitman r

    Etymology 5

    Noun

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Array; order; arrangement; dress.
  • * Spenser
    • And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray .

    Etymology 6

    Alternative forms.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (music)

    • Anagrams

    * English terms with multiple etymologies ----

    row

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (dialectal)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden etc.
  • * Bible, 1 (w) vii. 4
    • And there were windows in three rows .
  • * (John Milton) (1608-1674)
    • The bright seraphim in burning row .
  • * , chapter=5
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.}}
  • A line of entries in a table, etc., going from left to right, as opposed to a column going from top to bottom.
    • Synonyms
    * (line of objects) line, sequence, series, succession, tier (of seats) * (in a table) line
    Antonyms
    * column
    Derived terms
    * long row to hoe

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . Compare West Frisian roeie, Dutch roeien, Danish ro. More at rudder.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (weightlifting) An exercise performed with a pulling motion of the arms towards the back.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • (transitive, or, intransitive, nautical) To propel (a boat or other craft) over water using oars.
  • To transport in a boat propelled with oars.
    • to row the captain ashore in his barge
  • To be moved by oars.
    • The boat rows easily.

    Etymology 3

    Unclear; some suggest it is a , verb.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A noisy argument.
  • * (Byron)
  • * , chapter=22
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=18 citation , passage=‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?}}
  • A continual loud noise.
    • Synonyms
    * (noisy argument) argument, disturbance, fight, fracas, quarrel, shouting match, slanging match * (continual loud noise) din, racket

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • to argue noisily
    • Synonyms
    * (argue noisily) argue, fight

    Anagrams

    * English heteronyms English terms with multiple etymologies ----