▪ I. ˈracking, vbl. n.1
[f. rack v.1 + -ing1.]
The action of driving before the wind. rare—1.
| 1631 Celestina Prol. A vj b, Those rackings to and fro of the clouds. |
▪ II. ˈracking, vbl. n.2
[f. rack v.2]
1. a. Fitting with, placing in, etc., a rack or racks. b. The washing of ore on a rack (Knight 1875).
| 1888 Daily News 18 July 2/6 Restitution of ‘pennies’ if the girls do their own racking. |
2. Shelving designed to be functional and inexpensive rather than decorative.
| 1937 G. Frankau More of Us viii. 91 While Art Department hummed like dynamo As frenzied hands tore pictures from their racking. 1976 Gloss. Documentation Terms (B.S.I.) 52 Racking, shelving, usually of a cheaper quality, used for storage purposes in non-public stacks and areas of a library. |
▪ III. racking, vbl. n.3
(ˈrækɪŋ)
[f. rack v.3]
1. a. The action of stretching, extending, straining, etc.; pulling tight or making fast by rack-lashings. Also with down.
| 1463–4 Rolls Parlt. V. 501/1 Brode Cloth..after almanere rakkyng, streynyng or teyntyng therof. 1565 Jewel Repl. Harding (1611) 364 It cannot be drawen, nor by racking can be stretched to any other sense. 1577 Holinshed Chron. II. 1751/2 Thys grieuous racking and extending of this worde Procurement. 1764 Churchill Gotham 12 The daily, nightly racking of the brains, To range the thoughts. 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges 170 The oars and poles were used as ribands for racking. 1876 Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict., Racking-down, an operation performed with the aid of rack-lashing in laying a gun or mortar platform. |
b. Torturing by means of the rack.
| 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 490 Dyuerse tourmentes, as rakkynge, heddynge, and hangynge. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 284 All racking and torture, that exceadeth a meane, is uncerten and perillous. a 1653 Gouge Comm. Hebr. xi. 36 If racking, if scourging..be reall persecutions, then were theirs reall. 1732 Neal Hist. Purit. I. 429 He had condemned racking for grievous offenders, as contrary to Law. 1868 Browning Ring & Bk. v. 13 Noblemen were exempt, the vulgar thought, From racking. |
c. Raising (of rents) to an excess. Also with up.
| 1581 W. Stafford Exam. Compl. iii. (1876) 82 This rackynge and hoyssing vp of Rentes. 1627 Hakewill Apol. (1630) 522 By unconscionable racking of rents and wresting from them excessiue fines. 1690 Child Disc. Trade (1694) 50 The racking up of rents in the years 1651 and 1652. |
2. The undergoing or causing of strain, distortion, or dislocation; spec. distortion of a structure under shear.
| 1739 C. Labelye Short Acc. Piers Westm. Bridge 18 The Frames could move..without any Danger of racking or straining. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §306 Nothing to oppose the racking of the frame. 1868 Rep. Munitions War 267 The ‘Bellerophon’ could pass the forts at New York within 200 yards without suffering except by racking. 1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding ii. 23 This plan..has the important advantage of opposing the racking of the floor plates longitudinally. 1957 Brit. Commonw. Forest Terminol. II. 149 Racking, in timber testing, the application of loads to an assembly, tending to deform it in shear. 1976 W. J. Patton Construction Materials 386 Racking, tendency of a rectangular frame to distort from its rectangular shape due to lack of stiffness against shear forces. 1977 Engin. Materials & Design Aug. 17/1 A batch of fifty radiators made in this way have been subjected to tests against thermal shock cycling, pulsating pressure, vibration and racking. |
| attrib. 1865 A. L. Holley Ordnance & Armor 212 The ‘racking’ system, by means of heavy projectiles at low velocities. |
3. Intense pain.
| 1896 Allbutt's Syst. of Med. I. 680 Violent aching of the head..with racking in the bones. |
▪ IV. ˈracking, vbl. n.4
[f. rack v.4]
Of a horse: The action or fact of moving with a rack. Also attrib., as racking event, racking horse.
| 1530 Palsgr. 260/2 Rackyng of a horse in his pace, racquassure. 1607 Markham Caval. iv. 5 Taking his time⁓keeping from trotting, and his motion of legges from ambling. and so compound this which is called a Traine, or Racking. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Rules for buying Horses, Racking..'tis the same Motion as Ambling, only it is a sweeter Time. 1818 J. Palmer Jrnl. Travels 51 Racking is a favourite ambling pace. 1974 Marlboro Herald-Advocate (Bennettsville, S. Carolina) 18 Apr. 10/3 In ladies racking, Sherry Jean Nolan..rode King to a first-place win. Ibid., Larry Griggs rode King to a first place victory in the junior racking event. 1974 Greenville (S. Carolina) News 23 Apr. 11/2 Friday performances, beginning at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., have the pleasure horse classes,..along with three racking horse classes. |
▪ V. racking, vbl. n.5
(ˈrækɪŋ)
[f. rack v.5]
Drawing off wine, etc. from the lees.
| c 1475 Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. (1790) 74 The rackinge, coynynge, rebatinge, and other salvations of wynes. 1626 Bacon Sylva §305 It is in common Practise, to draw Wine, or Beere, from the Lees, (which we call Racking). 1703 Art & Myst. Vintners 23 The usual times for Racking, are Mid⁓summer and Alhallontide. 1783 B. J. Bromwich Exper. Bee-keeper 59 If it does not become fine after the first racking, the operation should be repeated. 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) I. 169 The manufacture of cider may be divided into twelve heads:..8. The racking. |
b. attrib., as racking-back, racking-can, racking-cellar, racking-cock, racking-engine, racking-faucet, racking-hose, racking-pump, racking-shed, racking-tap, racking-vessel.
| 1846 Tizard Brewing (ed. 2) xx. 547 A more perfect racking-engine than such as are in ordinary use. Ibid., The racking tap. 1890 Pall Mall G. 4 Aug. 3/1 The cask..is further cleaned with steam..before being allowed to roll off into the ‘racking shed’, where it is filled with porter. 1892 H. E. Wright Handy Bk. Brewers 37 ‘Settling backs’ or ‘racking backs’. Ibid. 42 The fermenting or racking vessels. Ibid. 503 Racking hose..and racking cocks. |
▪ VI. ˈracking, vbl. n.6
[f. rack v.6]
A piece of spun yarn or other material used for racking ropes.
| 1711 W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 143 Racking and Seizing for the Parrel. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 34 It will greatly assist the spunyarn racking. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 116 Cast off the racking. |
▪ VII. † ˈracking, vbl. n.7
[f. rack wrack v. Cf. rack n.5]
Wrecking, destruction.
| 1689 Pol. Ballads (1860) II. 8 The Queen and Prince banisht for what none dares own, Unless for the racking and ruin o' the state. |
▪ VIII. ˈracking, ppl. a.1
[f. rack v.1 + -ing2.]
1. Of clouds: Driving before the wind.
| 1590 Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. iv. iv, Draw my chariot swifter than the racking clouds. 1697 Dryden æneid iv. 361 Drives the racking clouds along the liquid Space. 1808 Scott Marm. iii. xxii, Of middle air the demons proud, Who ride upon the racking cloud. |
2. Of winds: Driving, carrying along.
| 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 182 The sport and prey Of racking whirlwinds. 1840 Carlyle Heroes iii. (1858) 255 The racking winds..whirl them away again. |
▪ IX. racking, ppl. a.2
(ˈrækɪŋ)
[f. rack v.3]
1. Extortionate; exacting.
| 1580 Sidney Arcadia i. (1598) 2 The court of affection, held by that racking steward, Remembrance. 1636 Featly Clavis Myst. vii. 90 Hee layeth the blame on..racking Landlords. 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. (1650) 12 Let those..learn to make no lesse conscience of a racking bargain. 1817 Scott Search after Happiness xvi, Cursed war and racking tax Have left us scarcely raiment to our backs. |
† b. Let at rack-rents. Obs. rare—1.
| a 1619 Beaum. & Fl. Wit without M. i. i, Your racking Pastures, that have eaten up as many singing Shepherds, and their issues, as Andeluzia breeds. |
2. Torturing; causing intense pain, physical or mental.
| 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 481 Maladies Of gastly Spasm, or racking torture. 1693 Congreve in Dryden's Juvenal xi. (1697) 296 The most racking Thought, which can intrude. 1752 Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) II. 106 A man lying under the racking pains of the Gout. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) vi. xxii, Getting up for a journey with a racking headache. 1873 G. C. Davies Mount. & Mere viii. 57, I had been kept awake by a most racking tooth-ache. |
3. Straining, dislocating; breaking under strain.
| 1868 Rep. Munitions War 262 To neutralize the vibration, when struck a racking blow on one side. 1874 Thearle Naval Archit. 118 Great racking strains are set up, tending to alter the relative positions of the beams to each other and to the ship's side. 1895 R. Kipling in Pall Mall G. 25 Oct. 3/2 Spirits, goblins, and witch-people were moving about on the racking ice. |
Hence ˈrackingly adv., in a racking or exhausting manner.
| 1857 Chamb. Jrnl. VIII. 33 They will certainly become..monotonous by virtue of being so rackingly relevant. |
▪ X. ˈracking, ppl. a.3
[f. rack v.4]
1. Of a horse: Moving with a rack.
| 1562 Richmond. Wills (Surtees) 166 One old rackynge nagg. 1585 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1860) 108 My rackinge blacke nagge. 1817 Paulding Letters fr. South (1835) I. 86, I bought a new horse,—one of your capital racking ponies, as they are yclept. |
| fig. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Staffordsh. (1662) 41 He himself became a racking but no thorough-paced Protestant. |
2. racking pace = rack n.6
| 1611 Cotgr., Amble,..an ambling, or racking pace. 1676 Lond. Gaz. 1138/4 Two Cart-Geldings,..a little racking-pace. 1721 Dudley in Phil. Trans. XXXI. 167 A Moose..shoves along side-ways, throwing out the Feet, much like a Horse in a racking pace. 1819 Rees Cycl. XXIX. s.v. Rack, The racking pace is much the same as the amble. |
▪ XI. ˈracking, ppl. a.4 Naut.
[f. rack v.6]
That fastens ropes together.
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v. Nippering, Fastening nippers by taking turns crosswise between the parts... These are called racking turns. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 34 It is..secured with a racking seizing. 1886 J. M. Caulfeild Seamanship Notes 3 Secure..reef-pendant to boom with a racking or rolling hitch. |
▪ XII. racking
var. raking vbl. n.3