Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of fish: A cartilaginous fish with a flattened body and large, wing-like pectoral fins.
   • A line of light or energy: A narrow beam of light, heat, or other radiant energy.
   • A line extending from a point: In mathematics, a straight line that starts at a point and extends infinitely in one direction.
   • A part of a structure: One of the bony spines supporting a fish's fin, or the outer part of a compound flower cluster.

2. Verb:

   • To emit rays: To send out rays of light or energy.
   • To expose to radiation: To treat something with radiation.
   • To spread outward: To extend or spread out from a central point.

Examples

• Noun:

  • We saw a large ray gliding through the shallow water. (Referring to the fish)
  • A single ray of sunlight broke through the clouds. (Referring to a beam of light)
  • Draw a ray from point A through point B. (Referring to the geometric line)

• Verb:

  • The lighthouse rays its beacon across the dark sea. (Emitting light)
  • The machine is used to ray the medical equipment for sterilization. (Exposing to radiation)
  • Paths ray out from the central plaza in all directions. (Spreading outward)

Advanced Usage

• "A ray of hope": A small sign that something positive might happen.

  • The ceasefire agreement offered a ray of hope for the war-torn region.

• In scientific contexts: Used to describe streams of particles or waves.

  • Gamma rays are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation.

Variants and Related Words

• X-ray (n): A type of high-energy radiation used for imaging.

  • The doctor ordered an X-ray of my chest.

• Ray gun (n): A fictional weapon that shoots rays of energy.

• Rayon (n): A synthetic fiber, originally named for its shiny, ray-like appearance.

Synonyms

• Beam (n): A ray or shaft of light.
• Emit (v): To send out (light, energy, etc.).
• Radiate (v): To extend or spread outward from a center.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Ray out (v): To spread outward in lines from a central point.
  • The cracks in the glass rayed out from the point of impact.

Related Idioms

• Not a ray of sunshine: A person who is consistently gloomy or negative.
  • He's been not a ray of sunshine since he lost his job.

Noun

1. cartilaginous fishes having horizontally flattened bodies and enlarged winglike pectoral fins with gills on the underside; most swim by moving the pectoral fins
2. any of the stiff bony spines in the fin of a fish
3. the syllable naming the second (supertonic) note of any major scale in solmization
4. a group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation
5. (mathematics) a straight line extending from a point
6. a branch of an umbel or an umbelliform inflorescence
7. a column of light (as from a beacon)

Verb

1. expose to radiation
   • irradiate food
2. extend or spread outward from a center or focus or inward towards a center
   • spokes radiate from the hub of the wheel
   • This plants radiate spines in all directions
3. emit as rays
   • That tower rays a laser beam for miles across the sky