▪ I. range, n.1
(reɪndʒ)
Forms: 4–7 raunge, (5 Sc. rawnge, 6 rawng), 5 rangh, raynge, 6–8 rainge, 6 randge, 4– range.
[a. OF. range row, rank, file (Godef.), n. f. ranger to range v. See also renge n.]
I. 1. A row, line, file or rank, of persons († spec. of hunters or fighting men) or animals. Now rare. † on range, in file.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 23109 (Cott.) Þe first range [Gött. rau]..sal be o wreches mistruand. 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 379 Thai..on range [E. rawnge] in ane rod can ga. c 1470 Henry Wallace iii. 259 Na chyftane was that tyme durst tak on hand, To leide the range on Wallace to assaill. 1513 Douglas æneis i. vi. 153 Behald twelf swannis..Now with lang range to lycht thai bene adrest. Ibid. iv. iii. 56 Quhen that the rangis and the faid..Dynnis throw the gravis, sersing the woddis wyde. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. vi, A little further were in a range the kings slaues. 1640 Yorke Union Hon. 45 King Richard..made firm the Range of his owne Battaile. 1677 W. Hubbard Narrative (1865) I. 274 The Indians were laid in one Range by several Fires. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) III. 134 Two brilliant ranges of foreign and British ladies. 1847 Tennyson Princ. ii. 89 There sat along the forms..A patient range of pupils. |
2. A row, line, or series of things.
a. of objects in general. (Now usually expressed by
row; in 17–18th c.
freq. used of trees.)
| 1511 Sir R. Guylforde Pilgr. (Camden) 36 There be .iiij. rowes or ranges of pylers thrughout y⊇ church. 1578 Lyte Dodoens iv. viii. 461 The grayne or cornes are placed..in foure ranges or moe lines. 1652 Needham Selden's Mare Cl. 77 A Galley with one range of Oares. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. iii. 539 Trees on their Banks in goodly Ranges grow. 1786 tr. Beckford's Vathek (1868) 113 A range of brazen vases surrounded the elevation. 1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds ix. 123 His present was a range of beehives. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola i. xii, The walls were..covered with ranges of books in perfect order. |
b. of buildings or parts of these. Also, a continuous stretch of building.
| 1600 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 259 In this rawng now erecting..it wilbe well..that the thyrd story may be..higher than it is in the north rawng. 1618 Ibid. I. 206 Concerninge a Range of buildinge to be erected. 1705 Addison Italy 11 The New-Street is a double Range of Palaces from one end to the other. 1771 Bentham Ely Cath. (1812) 33 Two, and sometimes three ranges of pillars, one over another. 1834 H. Miller Scenes & Leg. xix. (1850) 280 The range had been inhabited..by a crew of fishermen and their families. 1863 P. Barry Dockyard Econ. 227 Turning from these buildings, this further range of brick and mortar is the engine factory and foundries. |
c. of large natural objects,
esp. of mountains.
Hence in
pl. ‘the usual word in Australia for mountains’ (Morris
Austral Eng. 1898), though the
sing. form is also used.
| 1705 Addison Italy 451 The Town..has its Views bounded on all Sides by several Ranges of Mountains. 1748 Anson Voy. iii. v. 344 The Ladrones will be only one small portion of a range of Islands. 1791 W. Bartram Carolina 197 This range or chain of morasses. 1839 J. Morphett in J. Stephens Land of Promise ii. 17 We passed the range at the point where the shingle-splitters have their settlement. 1846 F. Dutton S. Australia & its Mines xi. 297 The Ranges, immediately at the back of Adelaide, are at present the principal locality where this ore has been met with in great abundance. 1859 Jephson Brittany xix. 311 A magnificent range of cliffs. 1864 J. Rogers New Rush 31 How merrily passes the digger's life..To live in the ranges free from strife. 1871 L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. iv. 228 Those gigantic ranges which surpass even the Alps in magnitude. 1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career v. 31 The furnace-breath wind which roared among the trees on the low ranges at our back. Ibid. viii. 60 Those trees are Five-Bob Downs—see, away over against the range. 1946 K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) 6 Alec's father..set up a farm for himself far enough off in the ranges to be out of reach of his father's interference. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 11 There's a big fire burning left of the ranges. Ibid., It's over the range now. |
d. N. Amer. A series of townships, six miles in width, extending north and south parallel to the principal meridian of a survey.
Ranges were established by the
U.S. Congress on 20 May 1785.
| 1785 Jrnls. Continental Congress U.S. (1933) XXVIII. 376 The geographer shall designate the townships..by numbers progressively from south to north; always beginning each range with number one. 1790 Deb. Congress U.S. 27 Dec. (1834) 1832 Mr. Clymer wished to know how much land these seven ranges included. 1811 R. Sutcliff Jrnl. 28 Nov. in Trav. N. Amer. (1811) ix. 148 They meted out the tract into divisions and ranges, which are numbered. 1837 J. M. Peck Gazetteer Illinois (ed. 2) i. 76 In numbering the townships east or west from a principal meridian they are called ranges, meaning a range of townships. 1843–56 Bouvier Law Dict. U.S. (ed. 6) II. 419 In patents from the United States to individuals they are described as being within a certain range. 1882 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 233 These townships are numbered..in Roman numerals, I., II., III., &c., in what are called ranges westward from the principal meridians. 1960 Davies & Vaughan Beyond Old Bone Trail iii. 23 The land had been split up into townships, ranges, sections, and quarter-sections. Townships and ranges were six miles square. 1977 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. ii. 14/6 (Advt.), Section 23 in Chapel Hills Garden South of the North West quarter of Section 21, Township 37 North, Range 13, East of the Third Principal Meridian. |
e. Math. A set of points on a straight line.
| 1858 Cayley Wks. (1889) II. 577 The theories of ranges and pencils..are in fact a single theory. 1872 J. M. Wilson Solid Geom. 65 The points A, B are said to be conjugate to one another in the harmonic range ACBD. |
3. Rank, class, order.
rare.
| 1625 Markham Bk. Honour ii. v. §1 The Eternall Maiestie, who..hath created and placed in Heauen these seuerall Rankes and Raunges of Honor. 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Mankind iv. iii. 310 The lowest rank or range of Intellectual and Immaterial Beings. 1874 Stubbs Const. Hist. I. vii. 211 The cohesion of the nation was greatest in the lowest ranges. |
4. a. Line, direction, lie.
Perh. to some extent connected with branch II.
| 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 23 Keep the outside flat of the Bolt on the Range. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 84 Direct all the other Stakes according to the Range of the first. 1788 M. Cutler in Life, Jrnls. & Corr. (1888) I. 393 The range of the hills and valleys is nearly from north to south. 1849 Murchison Siluria xvii. 416 The low ridges clearly exhibit the strike or range of the strata. 1858 Merc. Marine Mag. V. 190 Keeping the two Buoys in range with the Lighthouse. |
† b. quasi-adv. In range or line.
Obs. rare.
| 1678 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 111 The side of any work that runs straight, without breaking into angles, is said to run Range. 1683 Ibid., Printing x. ¶7 The Hind-Posts may stand Range or even with the outer-sides of the Cheeks. |
II. 5. a. The act of ranging or moving about. Now
rare in literal sense.
† at range, at random.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. xviii, Syre Marhaus..departed fro them to fetche his raunge. 1568 T. Howell Arb. Amitie (1879) 22 Thou runst at rainge: and needes restraint. 1598 J. Manwood Forest Lawes xxiv. (1615) 240/1 When the said Regardors haue made their range. 1693 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) III. 30 The French had made a range into the country of Wirtemburgh. 1720 Gay The Toilette 51 I'll dress, and take my wonted range Through evr'y India shop. 1803 Naval Chron. IX. 70 The ship taking a sudden range, the cable parted. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xciii, From thy sightless range With gods..Descend. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Sports i. i. iii. §6 Then, not letting him [the dog] dwell any longer, cry ‘Hold up’ and proceed with the range. |
| transf. and fig. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 332 Summe prestis seyne simply ‘I assoyle þe of þi synnes’..Summe prestis seyne a more raunge. 1540–54 Croke 13 Ps. (Percy Soc.) 25 Thy range, Thy course, thy yeres, shall knowe none ende. 1784 Cowper Tiroc. 174 This blest exchange Of modest truth for wit's eccentric range. 1878 R. W. Dale Lect. Preach. ix. 283 Sometimes our hymns should take a wider range. |
b. Opportunity or scope for ranging; liberty to range.
| 1793 Minstrel I. 95 A boy drove out a herd of cows, who, pleased with the range, ran kicking and scampering along. 1858 Kingsley Misc. (1859) I. 180 The boa, alligator, shark, pike,..will..attain an enormous size, give them but range enough. 1865 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Ser. ii. I. ii. 246 The ewes have range over the stubbles..during the day. |
c. The application of the file to each notch in the entire length of a saw-blade.
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 693 In this first range each notch has only received one stroke of the file; but three or four ranges..are required to bring the teeth up sharp. |
6. a. An area, space, or stretch of ground, over which ranging takes place or is possible;
spec. † the course in a tournament (
obs.), and
orig. U.S., an extensive stretch of grazing or hunting ground.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. xli, Sir Launcelot came in to the raynge [printed rayeng]. Ibid. xlix, Thenne sire Launcelot made sire Galyhodyn to lede hym thorugh the raunge. 1640 Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1863) V. 170/1 The range of the cattle at the fforest river head. 1707–8 in Sheffield Gloss. Suppl. s.v., One other range or parcell of wood in two cloases called the Parke Bottoms. 1808 Pike Sources Mississ. iii. App. (1810) 30 At the crossing of this river there is a range for the horses of St. Antonio. 1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. ii. 30 [I] seldom pass more than a month at a time on the same range. 1851 S. Stephens Jrnl. 18 Apr. (typescript) II. 507 There is plenty of grass for [stock] there [sc. Wairau, N.Z.] and an extensive range, more suited for growing young stock..than the more limited boundary of the farm. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. i. 27 In most parishes..there were large ranges of common and unenclosed forest land. 1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 6 Apr. 8/3 Here they were able to learn something about a country where the sheep growers are able to raise their herds on expansive ranges. 1946 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 24 Nov. ii. 1/4 Turkeys in the Valley of Virginia generally are raised ‘on the range’, which means that after they're nine weeks..old, in the Summer they're put out in fenced fields with a few shelters or roosts and plenty of room to wander about. 1949 J. Nelson Backwoods Teacher iii. 29 He..steals hogs off the range for winter meat. 1963 R. Symons Many Trails v. 52 When a rancher spoke of his ‘range’, he meant the natural grazing area around his holdings. |
b. orig. U.S. Without article: Grazing ground.
| 1626 in Virginia Mag. Hist. & Biog. (1894) II. 52, 300,000 acres of land, which will feed such nombers of people, with plentifull range for Cattle. 1766 J. Bartram Jrnl. 12 Feb. in Stork Acc. E. Florida 67 There is good pine-woods, and fine range for cattle. 1812 Brackenridge Views Louisiana (1814) 117 The want of wild pasturage, or range, as it is called, for their cattle. 1959 Times 18 May 10/4 There are plenty of range rearers who annually take their pullets off range into straw yards without trouble. 1961 Guardian 17 May 3/5 There was insufficient land in Britain to keep sufficient birds on range. 1977 in Fremdsprachen (1979) XXIII. 131/1 After a maximum of two years in lay birds on range continue to lay for a further two or three years. |
7. a. Bot. and
Zool. The geographical area over which a certain plant or animal is distributed. Also, the period of time during which it has existed on the earth; the limits of depth between which a marine animal is found.
| 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. viii. 80 The reindeer, who is even less Arctic in his range than the musk ox. 1866 A. Murray Geogr. Distrib. Animals ii. 19 Even birds are subject to the same law, although it cannot be expected that rivers should often limit their ranges. 1887 Life Darwin I. 300 The habits and ranges of the birds which were described by Gould. 1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms 221/1 Range, the region over which a given form grows spontaneously. 1951 Jrnl. Ecol. XXXIX. 205 By ‘range’ is intended the geographical area within which, at a given time, a taxon or a plant community is to be found. 1963 Davis & Heywood Princ. Angiosperm Taxonomy xiii. 425 Species tend to occur in more restricted, and often more extreme, habitats at the edge of their range than in the centre of it. 1975 P. A. Johnsgard Waterfowl N. Amer. ii. 346 No specific information on home ranges of the greater scaup is available. 1980 Nature 3 Jan. 15/2 The recurring theme was the problem of identifying the stresses and stratagems of animals exposed in different parts of their range to widely differing environmental conditions. |
b. The area or period over or during which the occurrence of something is possible.
| 1830 Lyell Princ. Geol. I. xviii. 325 Not wholly beyond the range of earthquakes in Northern Italy. |
8. a. The area or extent covered by, or included in, some thing or concept.
| 1661 J. Fell Hammond 98 The range and compass of his [Hammond's] knowledge fill'd the whole Circle of the Arts. 1732 Pope Ess. Man i. 207 Far as Creation's ample range extends, The scale of sensual, mental pow'rs ascends. 1742 Young Nt. Th. vii, Thro' nature's ample range, in thought, to strole. 1805 Wordsw. Prelude ii. 176 Daily the common range of visible things Grew dear to me. 1841 E. Miall in Nonconf. I. 1 The whole range of politics, domestic and foreign. 1870 Huxley Lay Serm. x. (1874) 217 Through the whole range of geological time. 1942 [see level n. 4 c]. 1966 Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 23 Dec. 430/1 Important general questions of constitutional arrangements..down to those individual points with which you are familiar... That is the range we have at present. |
b. A series, number, or aggregate.
Perh. to some extent connected with sense 1.
| 1847 Tennyson Princ. iii. 161 The day fled on thro' all Its range of duties to the appointed hour. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Race Wks. (Bohn) II. 23 The English derive their pedigree from such a range of nationalities. |
9. Sphere or scope of operation or action; the extent to which energy may be exerted, a function discharged, etc.
a. of immaterial things.
† Naut. = Range of vision.
| 1666 Bunyan Grace Abound. §156 He would not suffer them to fall without the range of Mercy. 1706 Lond. Gaz. No. 4215/3 The Marlborough, and the Dover..joined them yesterday in our Range. 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. vii. 314 Affirming..the unrestricted range of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. iv. 244 A variety of circumstances brought them within the range of French influences. |
b. of instruments;
esp. of musical instruments (and so of the voice) with reference to variation of pitch in the sounds produced; compass, register.
| 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 43 Both the sensibility and the range of the instrument [the tachometer] may be infinitely increased. 1833 Tennyson Dream Fair Women xlii, Her..voice, a lyre of widest range. 1872 Huxley Phys. vii. 183 The range of any voice depends on the difference of tension which can be given to the vocal chords. |
c. of persons, in respect of knowledge, ability, etc.
| 1847 Emerson Repr. Men, Shakespeare Wks. (Bohn) I. 352 Great men are more distinguished by range and extent, than by originality. 1876 Trevelyan Life Macaulay I. iv. 188 Macaulay who knew his own range. |
10. a. The extent to which variation is possible; the limits between which a thing may vary in amount or degree.
| 1818 L. Howard Climate Lond. II. 48 The average annual range [of the barometer] is very nearly 2 inches. 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. v. (ed. 2) 168 The height from low water to high water is called the range of the tide. |
b. A series or scale (of sounds, temperatures, prices, etc.) extending between certain limits.
| 1812 Sir H. Davy Chem. Philos. 85 Air at a range of temperature such as we can command below our common temperatures. 1871 B. Stewart Heat §25 Between 0° and 100°, and for a range extending not too far beyond. 1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 549 Three sets..of apparatus which will prove.. to give a range for demonstrating purposes that will embrace most experiments that are required. 1895 Chambers' Encycl. I. 100 Beef and mutton..have at last come down to a much lower range of prices. 1921 Glasgow Herald 7 Nov. 11 Manufacturers were called upon to make far too many patterns. In preparing their ranges for the particular season, manufacturers are guided largely by the experience of the seasons which have just gone. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage ii. 45 Today there is a wide range of beads and sequins on the market. |
c. Statistics. The difference observed in any sample between the largest and the smallest values of a given variate.
| 1911 G. U. Yule Introd. Theory Statistics viii. 133 The simplest possible measure of the dispersion of a series of values of a variable is the actual range, i.e. the difference between the greatest and least values observed... The range is..subject to meaningless fluctuations. 1948 G. Herdan Quality Control ii. 22 The range is the difference between the greatest and smallest dimensions in one sample of n specimens. 1975 A. K. S. Jardine et al. Statistical Methods for Quality Control ii. 15, 1. Range = class mark of highest class - class mark of lowest class; or 2. Range = upper class limit of highest class - lower class limit of lowest class... It can be seen that range is not uniquely defined in such cases. 1978 Nature 3 Aug. 490/2 Seven normal volunteers (four males, three females; mean age 25 yr, range 21–30) were studied. |
d. Math. The set of values that the dependent variable of a function can take; the set comprising all the second elements of the ordered pairs constituting some given set.
| 1914 [see domain n. 4 e]. 1959 J. G. Kemeny et al. Finite Math. Structures ii. 70 Let f(x) be the age of x, expressed to the nearest year. The range of f consists of a set of whole numbers, starting with 0, presumably including all integers up to 100, and even having a few integers above 100 in the set. 1968 E. T. Copson Metric Spaces i. 19 The set of all points..which are images of points of E is called the range of the mapping. 1977 C. B. Allendoerfer et al. Elem. Functions iii. 49 The values of the dependent variable constitute a subset of the reals called the range of the function. Ibid. 50 It is often difficult to determine the range. |
11. a. The distance to which a gun, rifle, etc. is capable of sending a ball or bullet; the space which any projectile or missile can be made to traverse. Also, the distance of the object aimed at. More widely, the distance anything can travel, as (
a)
Nucl. Physics, the maximum distance which an ionizing particle of a given energy can travel in a given medium; (
b) the maximum distance at which a radio transmission may reliably be received; (
c) the distance which an aircraft can travel without refuelling, normally under stated assumptions regarding factors such as speed, air speed, and altitude; (
d) the distance on the earth's surface which a rocket or missile can traverse from launch to landing.
Technically defined in
Weaponry as ‘the distance from the muzzle of the piece to the (second) intersection of the trajectory with the line of sight’.
| 1591 Digges Pantom. 163 Any two Peeces of Battery Ordinance..shall euer make their Profundities of pearcing Proportionall to their leuell Randges Horizontall. 1692 Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. ii. xxvi. 138 The Horizontal Rainge of that Peece will be found to be 374 Paces. Ibid. xxx. 142 The drying of the Powder..doth help..the Rainge of the Shot. 1769 in Falconer Dict. Marine (1776). 1838 Thirlwall Greece xxxvii. V. 20 He..approached so near the walls, as to be within the range of the..missiles from the battlements. 1860 W. H. Russell Diary in India I. 268 The enemy have got the range of our camp. 1884 Times (weekly ed.) 8 Feb. 1/4 The rebels were visible; but they were altogether out of range. 1904 Phil. Mag. VIII. 725 The first breakdown of the radium atom is responsible for the α particle of..the least range. 1906 G. Eichhorn Wireless Telegr. vi. 37 Bearing in mind..the enfeebling influence of obstructions and the curvature of the earth, the range of normal installations is reduced to about 300 miles. 1924 Harmsworth's Wireless Encycl. 1635/2 It is a common experience for ship sets of only one and a half kilowatts to transmit over a range of 1,000 miles. 1926 R. W. Lawson tr. Hevesy's Man. Radioactivity vii. 78 Fig. 25..shows the tracks of individual α-particles. Almost without exception they are rectilinear, and the ionization produced by the rays ceases quite suddenly, which indicates that they have a definite range. 1928 V. W. Pagé Mod. Aircraft xix. 818 Range at economic speed, the maximum distance a given aircraft can cover while cruising at the most economical speed and altitude at all stages of the flight. Range at full speed, the maximum distance a given aircraft can cover at full speed at sea level. 1947 C. F. Toms Introd. Aeronautics iii. 141 The range..depends on the air-speed, on the initial all-up weight.., and.. on the bomb-load. 1947 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers XCIV. i. 176/1 On the Plan Position Indicator these objects will appear in their correct relative position provided we correct for the fact that radar measures slant range and not plan range. 1949 G. P. Sutton Rocket Propulsion Elements viii. 246 Altitudes above 250 miles and ranges over 300 miles can generally be attained only with single-step missiles having small payloads or multiple-step missiles. 1965 [see sense 11 c below]. 1965 Stuhlinger & Mesmer Space Sci. & Engin. xvi. 191 The range of a particle can be obtained directly by integrating the reciprocal of the stopping power over the appropriate energy range. 1967 Ketcham & Martin Propulsion ix. 197 It is possible to make an approximation for the maximum range of a ballistic missile from the geometry of the elliptical flight path and the intersections with the spherical earth surface. 1968 Sands & Tellet VHF-FM Marine Radio i. 21 The range of VHF transmissions is limited to a little more than line-of-sight distance. 1970 M. Smith Aviation Fuels xxxvii. 256 When boiling occurs, the loss of fuel can be serious both from the viewpoint of lost range and from danger to the aircraft structure from excessive tank pressures. |
| transf. 1687 Refl. Hind & Panther 21 That's a Flight of Fancy at its full Range. |
b. The position of a gun in firing (see
quot. 1704).
† Also, the direction of a shot.
Obs.| 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. 69 For Shooting in a Right-line called the Right Range of a Bullet. 1692 Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. ii. xxix. 140 The Gun being..upon a Level Rainge. 1704 Harris Lex. Techn. s.v., If the Bullet go in a Line parallel to the Horizon, it is called the Right or Level-Range; if the Gun be mounted to 45 Degr., then will the Ball have the highest or utmost Range,..all others between 45 Degr. and 00 are called the Intermediate Ranges. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. |
c. A place or piece of ground having a target and other fittings, used for practice in shooting. Also, a strip of land or sea used for testing rockets or missiles in flight between their launch and return to earth.
| 1862 St. Andrews Gaz. 3 Oct. 3/4 At the rifle range, the corps was divided into two squads, the one party firing against the other. 1873 Queen's Regul. & Orders, Army viii. §64 Fences for cavalry, and ranges, butts, &c. for rifle-practice. 1900 Kipling Let. 24 July in C. Carrington R. Kipling (1955) xiii. 315 We've started a rifle-club in the village... We've got a 1,000 yards range among the downs. 1947 Jrnl. Brit. Interplanetary Soc. VI. 191 Some details have appeared of an American rocket-testing range comparable to the projected Anglo-Australian one. 1955 Times 19 Aug. 4/6 The crofters last night unanimously agreed to a six-point resolution protesting that the range, which is expected to absorb crofting land in Benbecula and North and South Uist, represented a threat to the Hebridean way of life. 1965 L. E. Foster Telemetry Systems vii. 283 The range of these vehicles requires an accurate real-time ‘picture’ of the vehicle position to assure that it does not go beyond the safety corridor of the range and impact on some populated territory. 1971 Green & Lomask Vanguard viii. 133 In the fall of 1955 the 15,000-acre missile firing range on the snake-infested and palmetto-covered sand dunes of the Florida flatlands was completing its sixth year as the..Proving Ground for American guided-missile development. |
III. 12. a. A form of fire-grate, fire-place, or cooking apparatus. Hence
spec. a fire-place having one or more ovens at the sides, and closed on the top with iron plates having openings for carrying on several cooking operations at once. Also, a gas or electric cooker, typically with a grill, ring burners or plates, and one or more ovens. Now chiefly
U.S. The precise meaning in some of the older instances of the word is not clear. With
quot. 1574
cf. roasting-range, which is
perh. the sense of the earliest
quots. In
mod. Linc. dial. range denotes a high fender or fire-guard.
| 1446–7 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 84 De 34s. 1d. rec. de feodo de le rangh et exitibus animalium. 1471–2 Ibid. 93 Pro iij kirsettes ferri empt. pro le Raunge. a 1548 Hall Chron. (1809) 607 Chimnays, Ranges and such instrumentes. 1574 R. Scot Hop Gard. (1578) 36 Then you must lay these Poales vpon a couple of forked stalkes..as Spittes vpon Raunges. 1611 Bible Lev. xi. 35 Whether it be ouen, or ranges for pots, they shalbe broken downe. 1660 Pepys Diary 19 July, An iron of our new range whch is already broke. 1736 Neve Builder's Dict. (ed. 3) s.v. Building, We have occasion for larger Ranges, or Chimneys, and more ample Kitchens. 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib. II. xxxi. 49/1 The whole top of the range is a flat iron platform, which may be covered with vessels for boiling, stewing, etc. 1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 423/2 Gas range... This range..has four top burners..and is fitted with movable ovens. 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 529/2 Ranges,..gas..oil. 1929 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Spring & Summer 416/2 Acme Electric Range... One of the most efficient cooking devices of its kind. 1935 Words Jan. 31/2 (Advt.), Entirely automatic gas ranges..with..aluminum cooking burners;..fuel saving oven; sanitary high burner tray (porcelain); choice of closed or open top cooking surface; Astrogril broiler in rollout drawer. 1959 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring & Summer 932/2 Our best Kenmore kerosene-burning range. 1970 Washington Post 30 Sept. b13/4 (Advt.), We have everything you'll need to transform your kitchen, including the fantastic Modern Maid flameless electric range with all the newest, most wanted features. 1973 Sunday Express (Trinidad) (Suppl.) 1 Apr. 2/5 Today's squared off ranges are designed for a close fit. 1977 Sci. Amer. Dec. 51/2 Between them, in ascending order, are a washing machine, a dishwasher, a color television set, a free-standing electric range, a gas clothes dryer, a freestanding gas range, an electric clothes dryer and a refrigerator. |
† b. Dripping, ‘kitchen-fee’.
Obs. rare—1.
Ellipt. for
range-fee (
cf. quot. 1446–7 above).
| 1469 in Househ. Ord. (1790) 95 As for the raunge that comyth of rosted meate, to be feable. |
13. The name of various articles (see
quots.).
| a. 1563–4 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 571 For xij Arms and lxxij greate paynted quarrels and xij Ranges. |
| b. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 243/2 In the Cow-House..a Range either for Oxe or Cow to which they are tyed. [Cf. 1886 Cheshire Gloss., Range Stake, the wooden stake to which cows are tied in the shippon.] |
| c. 1726 Bailey, Range,..a Beam which is betwixt two Horses in a Coach. 1847 Halliwell, Range,..(3) the shaft of a coach. Devon. |
| d. Naut. 1644 H. Manwayring Sea-man's Dict., Ranges, there are two, one aloft upon the fore-castle..the other in the beak-head. 1704 Harris Lex. Techn., Ranges, in a Ship, are two pieces of Timber going a-cross from Side to Side. 1711 W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 163 Ranges, pieces fitted to the Ship to belay or fasten the Main and Fore Sheets. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1776) H iij, The cleats, kevels, and ranges, by which the ropes are fastened. c 1850 Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 140 Ranges, horned pieces of oak, like belaying cleats, but much larger... Also those pieces of oak plank fixed between the ports, with semicircular holes in them, for keeping shot in. |
14. A length or stretch of something.
† a. pl. A fence, enclosure.
Obs. b. (see
quot.)
c. An unbroken stretch of railing, balustrade, etc. ?
Obs. d. Naut. (see
quot.) ?
Obs. e. A strip of glass.
f. A strip of leather.
g. Coal-mining (see
quot.).
h. (See
quot.)
| a. 1537 Bible (Matthew) 2 Kings xi. 8 Whosoeuer cometh wyth in the ranges shale dye for it. 1611 Bible 2 Chron. xxiii. 14 Haue her foorth of the ranges. |
| b. 1703 T. N. City & C. Purchaser 158 There are several Appellations given to the various Dimensions, &c. of Quarries, viz. 1. The Range, which is a Perpendicular let fall from one of the Obtuse Angles to the opposite side. |
| c. 1723–4 Chambers tr. Le Clerc's Treat. Archit. I. 114 The Ranges..ought to terminate in half Balusters joyn'd to the Pedestals. 1770 Ann. Reg. 171 A whole range of the east battlement of Westminster-hall gave way. |
| d. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1776), Range, a sufficient length of the cable, drawn up on deck, before the anchor is cast loose from the bow, to let it sink to the bottom, without being interrupted. |
| e. 1726 Maryland Hist. Mag. (1923) XVIII. 216, 20 tables Crown glass cutt into Ranges 7 inches high. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 636 The square is used in cutting the squares from the range, that they may with greater certainty be cut at right angles. |
| f. 1878 Ure's Dict. Arts IV. 110 The ‘butt’ is first cut into long strips known as ‘ranges’. |
| g. 1892 Daily News 29 Aug. 5/4 There are two main roads..from which there branch off..what are known as ‘ranges’, in which the coal winning principally goes on. |
| h. 1923 Daily Mail 28 Apr. 8 Eighty ranges, the young wood of ten acres—a range consists of all but the grown timber of twenty rods—had passed under the hammer. |
15. Shoemaking. The lie or line of the upper edge of the counter in a top-boot, corresponding to (and continued in) that of the vamp.
| 1840 J. Devlin Shoemaker 63 Remedying every fault that may be in the cutting, the range, the position, the back catch of the counter. Ibid. 65 A further closing may then follow, beginning at the turn of the..counter, and going right round, along the range, and up the tongue. |
IV. 16. attrib. and
Comb. a. in senses 6 and 7, as
range base,
range boss,
range cow,
range district,
range end,
range horse (see
quot.),
range-land,
range-man,
range management,
range mark,
range rider,
range tree.
range egg, an egg laid by a hen which has ranged outdoors for its food;
range war U.S., a struggle for the control and use of a cattle or sheep range.
| 1895 C. Dixon Migrat. Brit. Birds ii. 27 Three fairly well defined *range bases or refuge areas. |
| 1893 W. L. Chittenden Ranch Verses 94 The *range boss's outfit rides in through the herd. 1922 Short Stories Feb. (early issue) 70/2 He dominates everybody but Ben Whitman and..dad's range-boss. |
| 1894 Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 336/2 Their ‘*range’ cows and razor-backed hogs climb the steep hills like goats. |
| 1887 Q. Rev. July 49 In the *range districts the proportion of loss has been much higher. |
| 1963 Punch 19 June 891/1 We..keep hens and if they pack up buy ‘*range’ eggs. |
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. xlii, As sire Palomydes came in to the felde syr Galahalt..was at the *raunge ende. |
| 1859 Marcy Prairie Trav. iv. 111 Horses which have been raised exclusively upon grass..or ‘*range horses’, as they are called in the West. |
| 1931 Sun (Baltimore) 23 Dec. 15/1 Ranchers in the district are unable to care for them [sc. starving horses] and the *rangeland is covered with snow. 1949 Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) 26 Jan. 1/3 The winter snows have..laid the foundation for a good growth of rangeland grasses next summer. 1958 Yearbk. Agric. 1957 (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 765/2 Range (or rangeland), land that produces primarily native forage plants suitable for grazing by livestock, including land that has some forest trees. 1961 Times 7 Feb. 3/1, 40 million acres of rangeland north of Brisbane. 1969 Science & Technology Jan. 49/2 Rangelands is an American term now used throughout the world to describe areas where rainfall is too low or too unreliable for crops or sown pastures. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 11 July 1-d/5 The fires apparently were started by lightning and began on the rangeland two miles south of Interstate 90 on the Big Horn-Yellowstone County line. 1979 Arizona Daily Star 5 Aug. a4/4 Four fires..destroyed more than 3,100 acres of timber and range land in western and central Oregon. |
| 1887 Q. Rev. July 49 The high-handed conduct of the *range-men. |
| 1972 Agric. Handbk. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) No. 435. 1/1 Values for each of the *range management practices were determined from published sources and from experience of USDA Forest Service experts in this field. 1979 Arizona Daily Star 1 Apr. (Advt. Section) 3/9 Natural resource manager..2 years experience, preferably in range management. |
| 1700 Providence (R.I.) Rec. (1893) IV. 139 From it to turne and Range East and be southward to a heape of stones laid for a *Range marke. |
| 1890 Stock Grower & Farmer 28 June 3/4 A few years more will see all the last of the *range rider. 1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xxii. 368, I slapped that old captive range-rider half across his little garden. 1955 Radio Times 22 Apr. 44/2 A programme of films... ‘The Range Rider’ with Jack Mahoney and Dick West. |
| 1703 Ibid. (1894) V. 95 A blacke Oake tree marked for a *Range tree. |
| 1908 Murray & Miller Round-Up xiv. 288 We don't want no range-war. 1939 C. W. Towne Her Majesty Montana 89 In the days of the big ranges there never was any trouble between the cattlemen and the sheepmen, and there never was a ‘*range war’ between them in Montana. Many of the cattlemen also had bands of sheep. 1976 A. Price War Game i. 67 It was a typical feud situation—like a range war in the Wild West. |
b. in sense 11, as
range-board,
range-holding adj.,
range-indicator,
range-officer,
range-plate,
range-tables;
spec. in radar, as
range(-amplitude) display,
range gate,
range mark,
range-marker,
range measurement,
range resolution,
range ring,
range step.
| 1946 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engin. XCIII. iiia. 1559/1 The *Range or Type A display is one of the basic forms of presentation of radar information. 1948 K. Ullyett How Radar Works vii. 101 Range-amplitude, or type A, display on the CRT of a radar receiver would be of very little use with many modern systems, as the information it gives is not sufficiently accurate, nor can it be deciphered sufficiently speedily. |
| 1876 Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 326/2 *Range Board, this nature of board..has the distances painted on it of prominent objects within the range of the guns mounted on the works. |
| 1967 G. J. Wheeler Radar Fund. v. 55 A *range gate..is a switch which opens at a time coinciding with a prescribed range and closes at a set time later. 1973 Meyer & Mayer Radar Target Detection ii. 29/2 The majority of operational radar detection devices have some collapsing loss. The loss can be caused by..improper range gate width. 1977 Electronics Lett. XIII. 416/1 The range gate first resets the tunnel diode D, and any subsequent transition of D which is within the range gate produces a 1 output at the AND gate. |
| 1865 Sat. Rev. 21 Jan. 72/1 The rights enjoyed by the *range-holding Corps. |
| 1916 ‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 131 When the *range-indicator told that it was within reach of their shells the first gun opened with a trial beltful. 1948 J. L. Hornung Radar Primer iii. 69 A simple kind of range-indicator consists of a cathode-ray tube with a time-base voltage applied to the left and right deflection plates and echo-pulse voltages connected to the top and bottom plates. |
| 1945 Electronic Industries Sept. 222/3 *Range mark, a mark on the CRT screen which indicates distances from the radar set of the various echoes appearing on the screen of the CRT. 1949 H. E. Penrose Princ. & Pract. Radar xv. 281 In the simplest calibrating system a generator (range mark generator)..produces at equal intervals of time, short sharp signals or pips.., and these are imposed upon the trace just as though they were incoming signals. |
| 1944 Princ. Radar (Mass. Inst. Technol. Radar School) ii. 3 A very common method [of range determination] for search-type sets is the use of *range markers generated in the timer. 1977 J. French Small Craft Radar ii. 69 Two types of range markers are in common use, the variable range marker giving only one ring which can be set by the operator, and fixed rings which appear at fixed distances usually preset by the Range switch. |
| 1949 H. E. Penrose Princ. & Pract. Radar i. 1 When velocity is a known constant and time can be measured, distance can be calculated = velocity × time. This is the basis of *range measurement. 1978 R. V. Jones Most Secret War xxi. 177 Only later did I find that there was no foundation to our original reasoning that the Y system would involve a beam and a range measurement. |
| 1891 Daily News 27 July 3/4 Permitted by their *range officer..to violate the regulations. |
| 1876 Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 326/2 *Range Plates, plates of brass attached to the brackets of..field carriages. They are marked with three columns of figures, showing the range in yards..with the corresponding elevations. |
| 1959 R. L. Shrader Electronic Communication xxix. 833 *Range resolution is the ability to distinguish two or more targets in the same direction but at different distances. 1970 G. Kennedy Electronic Communication Systems xv. 625 Another argument in favor of short pulses is that they improve the range resolution, which is the ability to separate targets whose distance from the transmitter differs only slightly. |
| 1956 D. G. Lang Marine Radar vii. 80 Range pulses are applied to the P.P.I. [sc. plan position indicator], but as the P.P.I. is intensity modulated and the trace rotates around the screen's centre, the pulses appear as rings encircling the centre of the screen... Fixed rings are known as calibration or *range rings, and a variable ring is known as a variable-range marker. 1977 J. French Small Craft Radar ii. 71 The output from this circuit is added to the video amplifier, often via a Brightness control or on/off switch so that the operator can check for the possible presence of echoes under the range rings. |
| 1946 Princ. Radar (Mass. Inst. Technol. Radar School) (ed. 2) i. 23 Higher precision with a Type A indicator may be attained by the addition of a *range step. The horizontal sweep is displaced vertically, producing the effect of a step in the sweep. |
| 1873 Queen's Regul. & Orders, Army viii. §40 Proper *range-tables for each battery must be prepared. |
c. in sense 12, as
range-cock,
range-stove (Knight 1875);
range-fitter.
| 1884 B'ham Daily Post 24 Jan. 3/4 Range fitter, Wanted, used to Patterns. |
d. Special
Comb. range beacon = radio range (
b)
s.v. radio n. 7;
range-finder, a device used for the estimation of the distance separating the observer from an object;
spec. (
a)
Mil.,
usu. attached to a weapon, to estimate the range of a target; (
b)
Photogr., as an aid to focusing a camera,
freq. coupled to the lens (see
quot. 1958); so
range-finding vbl. n. (also
transf.);
range-heads Naut., the windlass bitts (Smyth 1867);
range-plate, a ring-burner inset on the surface of a gas or electric range;
range-proof a. (
U.S.), unbreakable by heat from a ring burner on a gas or electric range;
range safety crew, a team of persons responsible for ensuring the safety of people and structures should a rocket deviate from its intended path after launching by destroying it in flight if necessary;
range safety officer, the principal member of a range safety crew;
range work, (
a) work having a straight face; (
b) masonry laid in level courses; (
c) practice in shooting at a range;
range-zone Palæont. (see
quots.).
| 1931 P. V. H. Weems Air Navigation xiv. 271 Range beacons may be of the aural type, which operate an ordinary aural receiving set with head phones, or of the visual type which operate vibrating reeds in a special visual indicator. 1935 C. G. Burge Compl. Bk. Aviation 503/1 The system..employs a number of beacons whereby the pilot approaching the aerodrome along the route marked by range beacons is advised of the locality of the 'drome by first an approach marker beacon and secondly by a boundary marker beacon. 1940 A. Black Story of Flying xvii. 183 Each range-beacon signal is interrupted every 30 seconds by an identification characteristic. |
| 1872 Daily News 16 July, A very simple and useful instrument..called a range-finder. 1876 Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 326/2 Range-finder, an instrument for ascertaining the range of a piece of ordnance or small⁓arm. 1916 ‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 38 He..was..followed by his trumpeter and a man with the six-foot tube of a range-finder strapped to the saddle. 1930 Pop. Sci. Monthly Dec. 33/3 A new ‘gravity range finder’ that clips to the camera bed eliminates guesswork in judging the distance. 1934, 1935 [see couple v. 2 e]. 1958 Oxf. Mail 19 May 7/2 Coupled rangefinder. This means a rangefinder which you work usually by making two images coincide. It is coupled to the lens, so that when you have focussed the image on the rangefinder the lens is automatically focussed. 1973 Times 1 Oct. 16/5 Exactly what the cost of the new tank will be is anyone's guess. One estimate is that it might cost as much as {pstlg}200,000 by the time one has installed the {pstlg}50,000 fire control system with its laser range-finder and computer. 1977 J. Hedgecoe Photographer's Handbk. 13/1 The range-finder focusing system uses two windows,..one the actual viewfinder and another placed further along the camera body. Ibid. 13/2 The Leica CL..is a sophisticated direct vision 35 mm camera with coupled rangefinder. |
| 1890 Sir F. A. Abel Addr. Brit. Assoc. 11 The applications of electricity in connection with range-finding. 1946 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers XCIII. i. 378/2 A corresponding advance in precision of range-finding was achieved by Pollard in work..on the radiolocation equipment for the laying of heavy anti-aircraft artillery. 1971 Nature 16 Apr. 460/2 Range-finding experiments have shown that the maximal tolerated doses of propylene imine and propane sultone, in distilled water,..were 20 mg/kg and 56 mg/kg, respectively. |
| 1954 Archit. Rev. CXVI. 270 72b ‘Main’ gas rangeplate in cast iron and pressed steel, finished in cream vitreous enamel. |
| 1969 New Yorker 29 Nov. 109/1 The ware is ovenproof but not rangeproof. |
| 1966 Electronics 17 Oct. 37/1 Range safety crews must monitor the handling and launch of a rocket on the ground, and then watch such flight parameters as critical velocity, position and impact prediction for signs of danger. |
| 1965 L. E. Foster Telemetry Systems vii. 284 During the transition from aerodynamic to ballistic missiles, the range safety officer found he had need of an impact predictor. 1971 Green & Lomask Vanguard ix. 162 The displays in the Central Control room gave the range safety officer a second-by-second picture of the path the vehicle was following. |
| 1678 Moxon Mech. Exerc. i. 112 The side that falls away from the Foreside of any Straight or Range-work is called the Return. 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 742/1 Range work..is usually backed up with rubble masonry. 1908 Daily Chron. 16 Apr. 4/6 Some 200 of the London Scottish will be quartered at Aldershot for range work and field exercises, their sergeants sharing the mess of the Gordon Highlanders. |
| 1957 E. D. McKee et al. in Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists XLI. 1880 Vertical and horizontal limitations in the absolute three dimensional distribution of individual taxonomic entities in the rocks of the earth's crust provide the basis for biostratigraphic subdivision of strata into range-zones or zones comprising the total body of strata through which specimens of a particular taxonomic entity..range or occur. 1976 H. D. Hedberg Internat. Stratigr. Guide vi. 53 A biostratigraphic range-zone may represent the stratigraphic range of some one taxonomic unit.., or of a grouping of taxons, or of a lineage or segment of a lineage, or of any particular paleontological feature whatsoever. |
▪ II. range, n.2 Obs. exc. dial. (
reɪndʒ)
[Goes with range v.2, and may be identical with prec., but the history is not clear. Cf. ranch-sieve and renge n.2 (the earlier form).] A kind of sieve or strainer.
† Also
range-sieve.
| 1545 Elyot, Sisacthea, a rayeng [sic] sieue. 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. (1660) 187 You shall have Boulters, Searses, Ranges, and Meal-sives of all sorts, both fine and coorse. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme v. xvii. 549 If it be sifted and cleansed through a fine raunge, searce, or boulter. 1886 Elworthy W. Som. Word-bk., Range, a sieve used for straining liquids and not for sifting dry matter. In cider making, the juice is strained through a range; so in cheese making. |
▪ III. † range, n.3 Obs. rare.
Also 8
rainge.
[? Nasalized var. of rache n.2] = race n.5| 1685 Lond. Gaz. No. 2079/4 A large well quartered Chesnut Coloured Mare, with..a range down her face. 1723 Ibid. No. 6197/3 A brown Bay Mare..having a Star and Range in her Forehead. |
▪ IV. range, v.1 (
reɪndʒ)
Forms: 4–5
Sc. raung, (9
dial.)
rawnge, 5–7
raunge; 4–7
raynge, 7
rainge; 6
randge, 4–
range.
[a. F. ranger (12th c.), f. rang var. ranc rank n. See also renge v.] I. trans. 1. a. To place, set, or station (persons, rarely animals) in a row, line, or rank; to draw up, arrange (an army, etc.) in ranks. Chiefly
pass. and refl.| 1375 Barbour Bruce xi. 431 Thai stude than rangit all on raw. Ibid. xvii. 348 Quhen thai saw [That] menȝe raynge thame swa on raw. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5678 The Troiens..Bowet euyn to þe banke..Out of rule or aray raungit on lenght. c 1450 Holland Howlat 244 Quhen thai [birds] war rangit on rawis. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xviii. 24 The Englishe oste dislodged,..and raynged theyr battelles. 1598 Florio Ep. Ded. 5 An armie ranged in files is fitter for muster then in a ring. 1671 tr. Frejus' Voy. Mauritania 57 Yet..would they not be perswaded to range themselves and make us way. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 18 Apr., Her she-slaves, finely dressed, were ranged on each side. 1842 Macaulay Horatius xii, All the Etruscan armies Were ranged beneath his eye. 1877 A. B. Edwards Up Nile xi. 292 A double file of men..ranged themselves along the ropes. |
b. To place (a person or persons) in a specified position, situation, or company. Const. with preps. and
prep. phrases, as
against,
among,
around,
on the side of,
under,
with. Chiefly in
pass. and refl., and commonly
fig.| 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. i, The most fatal and dangerous exploit that euer I was rang'd in, since I first bore Arms. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 55 ¶4 The Father of a Family would often range himself under the Banners of Avarice, and the Son under those of Luxury. 1796 Burke Let. Noble Lord Wks. 1826 VIII. 8 To range myself on the side of the Duke of Bedford. 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. ii. 358 A similar contention..ranged one of the rivals on the side of Ragoba. 1874 Stubbs Const. Hist. (1897) I. x. 318 The Norman baronage..ranging themselves with the king or against him. |
† c. To reduce or bring
under obedience, or
to something.
Obs. Renderings of F.
ranger sous (
l'obéissance), and
ranger à (
la raison, etc.).
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 169 Hauing..subdued Africke, and raunged it vnder the obedience of Rome. 1608 D. T. Ess. Pol. & Mor. 75 He..tells Fortune shee did well to range him to the gowne, and to the studie of Philosophie. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII 55 If it be no more but to range his subjects to reason. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 9 Duke Charles..ranged the Finlanders..under obedience to himself. |
2. a. To set or dispose (things) in a line or lines; hence, to arrange, put in order. Also as in 1 b.
| a 1400 Pistill of Susan 112 The rewe, þe rubarbe, rawnged fulle ryghte In rees. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. 19 Those they couch and range in the earth. 1628 Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 106 The quiet life can never be preserved if it be not ranged with the active life. 1658 Evelyn Fr. Gard. (1675) 163 You may range the first at the very edg of the trench. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 37 ¶1 Her Books..were ranged together in a very beautiful Order. 1816 Bentham Chrestom. 25 The component particles of water..have to range themselves in such a manner as to form a surface. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. ii. 16 All the images will be ranged upon the circumference. |
b. To set or lay out (a line or curve).
| 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 100 Fix a line upon the Stake F, and..range it by the Stakes F and D. 1847 Brodie (title) Rules for ranging railway curves with the theodolite. |
c. To make straight, even, or level.
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 690 The little facet thus exposed by the process of topping or ranging the teeth. 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab., Range matter, to make lines in composing range equally at either or both ends of the stick. |
d. Naut. To lay out (a cable) so that the anchor may descend without check.
| 1833 Marryat P. Simple xv. (1873) 103 Which cable was ranged last night. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 157 Too much chain should not be ranged. 1886 J. M. Caulfeild Seamanship Notes 4 If chain lockers are forward, do not range cables. |
e. To provide with a row or rows of something.
| 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. II. 259 The upper one of these floors..is ranged round with the beds. |
3. To place (persons or things)
in a certain class or category; to divide
into classes; to classify, arrange, etc.
| 1601 Holland Pliny vii. xlv. 179 The late Emperour Augustus, whome all the world raungeth in this ranke of men fortunate. 1662 Gerbier Principles 4 Those who have Marshald the Orders of Colombs..have Ranged the Toscan to be the Supporter of a Building. 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 131/2 All four-footed Creatures are Ranged into two sorts. 1730 A. Gordon Maffei's Amphith. 240 Divinities to be ranged in the same Rank. 1762 Mills Pract. Husb. I. 16 The subdivisions of different soils..may..be ranged under two general heads. 1805 Wordsw. Prelude ii. 223 To range the faculties In scale and order. |
4. refl. (
ad. F.
se ranger.) To adopt a more regular mode of life.
| 1855 Thackeray Newcomes xxviii, You tell me to marry and range myself. 1880 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton Rebel of Family III. vii. 144 He had no intention of marrying and ranging himself just yet. 1903 Beerbohm in Sat. Rev. 16 May 615/2 Suppose that, when he disembarked at S. Helena, Napoleon so ‘ranged himself’ as to become a gentle, agreeable,..old gentleman. |
II. intr. 5. a. Of things,
esp. buildings or their parts, or large natural objects: To stretch out or run in a line, to extend.
| 1607 Shakes. Cor. iii. i. 206. 1613–39 I. Jones in Leoni Palladio's Archit. (1742) II. 43 A Wall ranges along the Cell to bear up the Roof. Ibid., This Cornice only ranges along the Cell. 1703 Providence Rec. (1894) V. 95 From the said black oake tree to Range away northeastward to a stake. 1770 Easington Incl. Act 7 Such parcel of land adjoining to the sea and ranging along the same. 1862 Ansted Channel Isl. i. iv. (ed. 2) 61 A formidable group of rocks and islands, ranging north-east and south-west. |
b. To extend or lie in the same line or plane (
with);
esp. in
Printing, of type, lines, or pages.
| 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. ii. 7 Whatsoeuer comes athwart his affection, ranges euenly with mine. 1664 E. Bushnell Compl. Shipwright 20 That the backside of the upper end may randge faire. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 84 If one Stick stand half a Foot higher than another..it matters not, so they range directly. 1771 Luckombe Hist. Printing 391 So that they may not range against each other. 1816 Scott Antiq. vi, I have a copy at home that stands next my twelvemo copy of the Scots Acts, and ranges on the shelf with them very well. 1883 Academy 20 Jan. 40/3 Many of the sonnets on opposite pages have not been made to ‘range’. |
6. a. To take up or occupy a place or position. Const. as in 1 b. Also, of a number of persons: To draw up in rank or order. (
rare.)
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 169 The Predicament Wherein you range vnder this subtill King. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, ii. iii. 20 Tis better to be lowly borne, And range with humble liuers in Content. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 687 The neighb'ring Cities range on sev'ral sides. 1774 Reynolds Disc. vi. (1876) 401 He would..have ranged with the great pillars and supporters of our Art. 1832 Tennyson Œnone 79 When all the full-faced presence of the Gods Ranged in the halls of Peleus. 1841 R. Oastler Fleet Papers I. iv. 29 That would range under the head of ‘news’. 1852 Thackeray Esmond i. xii, In the unhappy matrimonial differences..Mistress Beatrix ranged with her father. 1877 G. H. Lewes Let. 27 Feb. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1956) VI. 345 When do you think we ought to issue the 7/6 edition? It would of course be made to range with the edition I speak of. |
b. Naut. of ships. Also
trans.| 1709 Lond. Gaz. No. 4521/2 The Comodore..came ranging along our Larboard-side. 1797 Nelson in A. Duncan Life (1806) 41 The Excellent ranged up within two feet of the San Nicholas. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 79 She [sc. a ship] may be ranged a little ahead, or deadened, by filling or backing the cross-jack yards. 1855 Motley Dutch Rep. i. ii. (1866) 102 Ten English vessels..ranging up..as close to the shore as was possible, opened their fire. |
III. intr. 7. To move hither and thither over a comparatively large area; to rove, roam, wander, stray. Const. with various advbs. and preps. (see
quots.), and sometimes including the idea of searching (
for something).
a. of persons (also
Naut. = to cruise, sail about), animals (
esp. of hunting dogs searching for game), and material objects.
| 1547 Boorde Introd. Knowl. 170 Out of my countre I do syldome randge. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 630 Brave beasts..In the wilde forrest raunging fresh and free. 1618 Latham 2nd Bk. Falconry 142 She..attends the Falconer and his Spaniels as they range. 1628 Digby Voy. Medit. (1868) 85 The Dunkerkers ranged much and in great fleetes about our channell. 1666 Baxter Call to Unconverted 213 Its easie to catch such greedy fish that are ranging for a bait. 1727 De Foe Hist. Appar. iv. (1840) 29 That all the planets should seem to be made for nothing but to range about the waste. 1772–84 Cook Voy. (1790) V. 1699 We bore away to leeward, and ranged along the S.E. side of the coast. 1838 Thirlwall Greece xlii. V. 219 It was his habit in summer to range over the Thracian woodlands. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxi. 525 The custom of allowing sheep to range prevailed. 1875 ‘Pathfinder’ Breaking & Training Dogs 118 The dog should range no nearer than five..yards from the gun. |
| fig. 1561 Norton Calvin's Inst. iii. 246 Hipocrites..that wildly range with licentiousnesse of sinnyng. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 67 b, To raunge in the bookes of Philosophie. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 153 ¶10 By ranging through all the diversities of life. 1885 Tennyson Locksley Hall 60 Yrs. After 217 While we range with Science, glorying in the time. |
b. of immaterial things.
| 1574 tr. Marlorat's Apocalips 50 Whose heresie began..to raunge through the Churches of Asia. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 28 There raunged at that tyme a certeine outragious burnyng feaver. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 134 That destruction wide may range. 1781 Cowper Conv. 438 The Mind..Should range where Providence has blessed the soil. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iv. xxviii, How would his busy satire range. 1880 Goldwin Smith in Atlant. Monthly No. 268. 208 You will hardly restrain our thoughts from ranging beyond an earthly abode. |
c. of the eye: To ‘move’ from one object of sight to another; to reach in this way.
| 1622 J. Reynolds God's Revenge i. 8 Shee..checks her eyes from ranging beyond the lists of modestie and discretion. 1721 Ramsay Morning Interview 93 Her unfix'd eyes with various turnings range. 1857 Livingstone Trav. xxvii. 548 Landscapes which permit the eye to range over twenty or thirty miles. 1872 Jenkinson Guide Eng. Lakes (1879) 351 As far as the eye can range. |
d. Gunnery. Of projectiles: To traverse, go (a specified distance).
| 1644 Nye Gunnery (1670) 34 By noting how many paces a shot rangeth. 1798 Hutton Course Math. (1828) II. 208 Some of those which in the air range only between 2 and 3 miles. 1846 Greener Sc. Gunnery 324 Projectiles are made heavy under the impression they will range further. |
e. To make search. Now
Sc.| 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 60* Whensoeuer he shall seeke out the truthe of any cause, by diligent searche, and raungyng in these corners. 17.. Ramsay Twa Cut-Purses 24 The ferly quickly chang'd, When throw their empty fobs they rang'd. |
8. To change from one attachment to another; to be inconstant.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. i. 91 If once I finde thee ranging, Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing. 1706 Lond. Gaz. No. 4190/4 My Mind is fixt, I will not range, I like my Choice too well to change. 1807 Byron To Sighing Strephon v, 'Tis, true, I am given to range; If I rightly remember, I've loved a great number. |
9. Bot. and
Zool. Of plants and animals: To extend (
i.e. to occur, be found) over a certain area or throughout a certain period of time.
| 1859 Darwin Orig. Spec. xiii. (1873) 359 The lower any group of organisms stands, the more widely it ranges. 1886 Prestwick Geol. I. 67 The Entomostraca range from the Lower Cambrian up to the present day. 1895 C. Dixon Migrat. Brit. Birds ii. 31 We find..Ethiopian types ranging right up the Nile valley to the shores of the Mediterranean. |
10. To vary within certain limits; to form a varying set or series.
| 1835 Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. v. 71 Ranging between two and twelve. 1857 Livingstone Trav. xxiv. 484 The thermometer early in the mornings ranged from 42° to 52°. 1876 Nature XIV. 22/2 Of Prime Movers alone there are 66 groups, ranging through many forms from a collection of the Original Models of Steam Engines.., downwards. |
IV. trans. 11. a. To traverse, to go over or through (a place or area) in all directions. (Sometimes including the idea of searching or examining.)
| 1533 Frith Another Bk. agst. Rastell B iij, In the seconde chaptre, he rangethe the felde, and sercheth out..what worde I haue spoken. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 3 The French did raunge Italy at their pleasure under Charles the eight. 1715 Pope Iliad ii. 62 The king despatch'd his heralds with commands To range the camp. 1781 Cowper Charity 301 To traverse seas, range kingdoms. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. Concl. 96 Out we pass To range the woods, to roam the park. |
| transf. c 1572 Gascoigne Fruites Warre Poems (1831) 211 Warre seemes sweete to such as raunge it not. |
b. Naut. To sail along or about (a country, the coast, etc.).
| 1603 R. Salterne in Capt. Smith's Wks. (1819) I. 108 As they ranged the coast..they were kindly vsed by the Natiues. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia i. 1 John and Sebastian [Cabot]..ranged a great part of this vnknowne world. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. v. 342 These vessels..are fitted for ranging this collection of Islands called the Ladrones. 1834 Bancroft Hist. U.S. I. i. 10 Gaspar Costereal ranged the coast for..six or seven hundred miles. |
c. To cast (one's eyes) over a series of objects.
| 1862 Mrs. H. Wood Channings I. i. 11 The master ranged his eyes round the circle. |
12. a. To pasture (cattle) on a range.
| 1857 Olmsted Journ. Texas 184 They ranged their cattle over as much of the adjoining prairie as they chose. |
b. To place (a telescope) in position.
| 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxvii. 213 Ranging the telescope along the line of pickets, I saw them all standing. |
c. To throw (a projectile) a specified distance.
| 1858 Greener Gunnery 53 They say it ranges the projectile double the distance. |
d. absol. To give a gun a certain range.
| 1892 Black & White 12 Mar. 342/1 The guns were all laid for the leading line, there was no question of ranging at all. |
† 13. Of a cannon: To throw (a bullet of a specified weight).
Obs.—1| 1643 in J. Lister Autob. (1842) 68 Their ordnance..played upon us, one of them ranged an 8 pound bullet. |
14. To cut (glass) into strips.
| 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 636 Ranging of glass is the cutting it in breadths as the work may require, and is best done by one uninterrupted cut from one end to the other. |
▪ V. range, v.2 Obs. exc. dial. [Of doubtful origin; cf. range n.2] trans. To sift (meal).
| 1538 Elyot, Acerosus panis, browne bredde not ranged. Ibid., Cernere, to syfte or range floure of corne. 1623 Cockeram, Succernate, To bolt or range meale. 1891–2 in Eng. Dial. Dict. (Devonshire). |
| fig. 1694 Motteux Rabelais v. xxi. 94 She used to sift, searse, boult, range, and pass away time with a..Sieve. |
▪ VI. range dial. var. rinse v.,
obs. pa. tense
ring.