from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Race \Race\, n. [OE. ras, res, rees, AS. r[=ae]s a rush,
running; akin to Icel. r[=a]s course, race. [root]118.]
1. A progress; a course; a movement or progression.
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2. Esp., swift progress; rapid course; a running.
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The flight of many birds is swifter than the race of
any beasts. --Bacon.
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3. Hence: The act or process of running in competition; a
contest of speed in any way, as in running, riding,
driving, skating, rowing, sailing; in the plural, usually,
a meeting for contests in the running of horses; as, he
attended the races.
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The race is not to the swift. --Eccl. ix.
11.
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I wield the gauntlet, and I run the race. --Pope.
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4. Competitive action of any kind, especially when prolonged;
hence, career; course of life.
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My race of glory run, and race of shame. --Milton.
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5. A strong or rapid current of water, or the channel or
passage for such a current; a powerful current or heavy
sea, sometimes produced by the meeting of two tides; as,
the Portland Race; the Race of Alderney.
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6. The current of water that turns a water wheel, or the
channel in which it flows; a mill race.
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Note: The part of the channel above the wheel is sometimes
called the headrace, the part below, the tailrace.
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7. (Mach.) A channel or guide along which a shuttle is driven
back and forth, as in a loom, sewing machine, etc.
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{Race cloth}, a cloth worn by horses in racing, having
pockets to hold the weights prescribed.
{Race course}.
(a) The path, generally circular or elliptical, over which
a race is run.
(b) Same as {Race way}, below.
{Race cup}, a cup given as a prize to the victor in a race.
{Race glass}, a kind of field glass.
{Race horse}.
(a) A horse that runs in competition; specifically, a
horse bred or kept for running races.
(b) A breed of horses remarkable for swiftness in running.
(c) (Zool.) The steamer duck.
(d) (Zool.) A mantis.
{Race knife}, a cutting tool with a blade that is hooked at
the point, for marking outlines, on boards or metals, as
by a pattern, -- used in shipbuilding.
{Race saddle}, a light saddle used in racing.
{Race track}. Same as {Race course}
(a), above.
{Race way}, the canal for the current that drives a water
wheel.
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