Ray

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹeɪ/

Definitions

1. A narrow beam of light or other radiant energy ; a type of flat-bodied cartilaginous fish with winglike fins ; a line or streak that radiates from a central point
2. A focused emission of light or radiation often seen as a streak ; a marine creature known for its broad, flat body and long tail ; a linear formation spreading outward from a source
3. An intense stream of light or radiation visible as a straight line ; a fish resembling a flattened shark with extended fins ; a pattern consisting of lines extending outward from a center

Etymology: The "ray" that means a beam of light is an entirely different word from the ray that means a flat sea fish, though English speakers rarely notice. The fish sense descends from Old English "reohhe" and its Middle English relatives, and its own origin is uncertain. The light sense, by contrast, arrived in English from Latin "radius," meaning a rod, spoke, or beam, and the two words only converged in form by coincidence. The plural "rays" and the verb-like uses follow the same logic: they are inflections of this noun, so the core history lies in the Latin source. Latin "radius" also gave English "radius," the bone of the forearm and the line from a circle's center, which is a doublet of the same ancestor.

Synonyms: beam, light, shaft, radiance, glimmer

Antonyms: shadow, darkness, obscurity, dullness, gloom