: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
Noun (1)
the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail
an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush Verb (2)
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
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Noun
Where feasible, consider rail travel which is significantly more greenhouse gas efficient than road transport and aviation.—Dianne Plummer, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 The bill — introduced by Sens. Vickie Sawyer, Bill Rabon and David Craven — is part of efforts by local leaders to overhaul the region’s public transit system by increasing Mecklenburg County’s sales tax to pay for rail, bus and road projects.—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Players’ unions and rival leagues have all railed against the introduction of FIFA’s new flagship club competition but a carrot has now been dangled for competing clubs.—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 The voluntary recall covers a part of the vehicle known as a cant rail and affects all Cybertrucks manufactured from November 2023 to February 2025, Tesla wrote in its filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration dated March 18.—Cj Haddad,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rail
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English raile, from Anglo-French raille, reille bar, rule, from Latin regula straightedge, rule — more at rule
Noun (2)
Middle English raile, from Middle French raalle
Verb (2)
Middle English, from Middle French railler to mock, probably from Old French reillier to growl, mutter, from Vulgar Latin *ragulare to bray, from Late Latin ragere to neigh
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railernoun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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