Rail Definition

rāl

railed, rails

noun

rails

A bar of wood, metal, etc. placed horizontally between upright posts to serve as a barrier or support.

Webster's New World

A fence or railing; specif., the fence surrounding the infield of a racetrack.

Webster's New World

A structure made of such bars and supports and forming a barrier or guard; a railing.

American Heritage

Any of a series of parallel metal bars laid upon crossties or in the ground to make a track for railroad cars, streetcars, etc.

Webster's New World

A grind rail.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

railed, rails

To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh, or abusive language.

American Heritage

To supply with rails or a railing; fence.

Webster's New World

To speak bitterly or reproachfully; complain violently.

Webster's New World

(intransitive) To travel by railway.

Wiktionary

To range in a line.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
rail off
rail in
train
inveigh
vituperate
revile
vilify
fulminate

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
compliment
praise

adjective

Of or pertaining to a railway or railroad.

Webster's New World

idiom

(go) off the rails

(to go) off the proper course
(to become) insane

Webster's New World

ride on a rail

to place on a rail and carry out of the community: extralegal punishment in which the victim was usually tarred and feathered beforehand

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Rail

Noun

Singular:

rail

Plural:

rails

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Rail

(go) off the rails
ride on a rail

Origin of Rail

Middle English railen from Old French railler to tease, joke from Old Provençal ralhar to chat, joke from Vulgar Latin ragulāre to bray from Late Latin ragere

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
French râle, Old French rasle. Compare Medieval Latin rallus. Named from its harsh cry, Vulgar Latin *rasculum, from Latin rādere (“to scrape").

From Wiktionary
Middle English raile from Old French raale perhaps from Old French raler, racler to scrape from Old Provençal rasclar raclette

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English raile from Old French reille from Latin rēgula straight piece of wood, ruler reg- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Old French reille, Latin regula (“rule, bar"), from regere (“to rule, to guide, to govern"); see regular.

From Wiktionary
Probably from Anglo-Norman raier, Middle French raier.

From Wiktionary
From Middle French railler.

From Wiktionary
Old English hræġl.

From Wiktionary