Ray (Noun)
Meaning 1
Any of the stiff bony spines in the fin of a fish.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The sharp ray on the pufferfish's dorsal fin was a defense mechanism against predators.
- Sharks have a unique skeleton made of cartilage, with a distinctive ray pattern on their fins.
- The cichlid's elaborate fin featured long, feathery ray extensions that were used for display.
- During the autopsy, the veterinarian examined the ray pattern on the fish's tail fin to identify the species.
- Marine biologists study the growth patterns of fin rays to determine the age and health of a fish.
Meaning 2
Cartilaginous fishes having horizontally flattened bodies and enlarged winglike pectoral fins with gills on the underside; most swim by moving the pectoral fins.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
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Meaning 3
(mathematics) a straight line extending from a point.
Classification
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes.
Related Words
Meaning 4
A column of light (as from a beacon).
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- The lighthouse beam sent a ray across the dark waters to guide the ship safely to shore.
- As she lay on her back in the park, a warm ray from the sun shone down on her face.
- A thin ray of light peeked through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the dusty room.
- The search party followed the faint ray of the flashlight to locate the lost hiker in the dense forest.
- At sunset, a bright ray of light burst through the clouds, creating a stunning visual effect in the sky.
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Meaning 5
A group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- A beam of intense white light was broken down into its component colors as it passed through a prism, revealing a ray of red, orange, and yellow hues.
- The scientist studied the way a ray of ultraviolet radiation affected the growth of plants in a controlled greenhouse environment.
- The sun's warm ray peeked through the clouds, illuminating the landscape and casting a golden glow over the rolling hills.
- In the lab, the engineer experimented with ways to deflect a ray of high-energy X-rays using a combination of magnets and reflective surfaces.
- A ray of laser light was precisely calibrated to create a microscopic hole in the delicate surface of a semiconductor chip.
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Meaning 6
A branch of an umbel or an umbelliform inflorescence.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The dill flower head is an umbel consisting of many small umbels, with each ray resembling a small umbel itself.
- In addition to the three fertile rays of the wild carrot inflorescence, there are several sterile rays.
- Each ray of the flowers of the wild celery is about 1.5 millimeters in length, giving the entire plant a delicate appearance.
- One of the distinctive characteristics of the Apiaceae family is the fact that the rays in an umbel can often have a very different appearance.
- The primary rays of the Queen Anne's lace umbel are quite a bit longer than the secondary and tertiary rays.
Hypernyms
Meaning 7
The syllable naming the second (supertonic) note of any major scale in solmization.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- As the singer reached the supertonic note, she sang the syllable "ray" to indicate the major scale's second note.
- The solmization exercise began with "do, ray, me" as the instructor guided the students through the major scale.
- Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do became do-ray-me-fa-so-la-ti-do when Sarah applied the alternative solmization system.
- Sam's vocal warm-up started with the familiar "do, ray, me, fa, so, la, ti, do" to loosen up his vocal cords.
- The sheet music displayed the syllable "ray" to help choir members remember the second note of the scale.