rail
English meaning: Rail
Definition
A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.
Example
“He gripped the metal rail tightly as the boat rocked.”
Another example: “Campaigners continued to rail against the proposed tax increase.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Neutral; a noun for a metal bar or track (railing, fence, railway), and a verb meaning to enclose with rails, or (formal/literary) to complain bitterly ('rail against'). Common in transport, construction and rhetoric.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
For the bar sense, from Old French 'reille' (bar), from Latin 'regula' (straight stick); the 'complain' sense is from French 'railler' (to mock); both 14th–16th century.
Synonyms
- track
- revile
- vituperate
- fulminate
- inveigh
- vilify
- railing
- rails
Related Words
- commuter
- amtrak
- intercity
- freight
- transit
- electrification
- corridor
- rails
- streetcar
- link
Common Collocations
- rail network
- by rail
- rail against
- rail line
- guard rail
- light rail
Word Forms
rail (n & v); rails (pl); railed; railing (n)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B