Race

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹeɪs/

Definitions

1. A competition between individuals or groups to reach a goal or finish line first ; a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities ; the act of moving or progressing swiftly or urgenty
2. An event where people or animals strive to be the fastest to complete a course ; classification of people by inherited traits like skin color and ancestry ; the process of moving quickly in a contest or challenge
3. A contest of speed or skill to determine a winner ; a categorization of humans linked to common characteristics or heritage ; an action of advancing rapidly or competing intensely in any field

Etymology: The ancient sense of this word was simply "a running" or "a rush," and that origin is shared with the Old Norse and Old English words that came into English. Old English "rǣs" meant a swift or violent rush, and Old Norse "rás" meant a running or a race. Both trace back to a Proto-Germanic word for a course, and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow, rush." Related Dutch and German words still carry the sense of a strong current or a mad rush. The sense of a human "race" as a group of people came much later, arriving in English in the 1560s from Middle French, which took it from Italian "razza" (early 14th century). The Italian word's origin is uncertain. Scholars have proposed several candidates, including a Germanic word for a line, a Latin word for generation, and an Arabic word meaning "head," though the chronology is disputed for each. The word also displaced older English terms. It partly replaced Middle English "kinde," which gave us "kind," and fully replaced Old English "cnōsl" and "hād."

Synonyms: competition, contest, event, sprint, match

Antonyms: slow, rest, stop, pause, delay