Raise
Origin
From Middle English raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa ("to raise"), from Proto-Germanic *raisijanÄ…, *raizijanÄ… ("to raise"), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rÄ«sanÄ… ("to rise"), from Proto-Indo-European *rei- ("to rise, arise"). Cognate with Old English rÄsian ("to explore, examine, research"), Old English rÄ«san ("to seize, carry off"), Old English rÇ£ran ("to cause to rise, raise, rear, build, create"). More at rear.
Full definition of raise
Verb
- (physical) To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.to raise your hand if you want to say something; to raise your walking stick to defend yourself
- To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect.to raise a wall, or a heap of stones
- Bible, Isaiah xxxix. 3I will raise forts against thee.
- To cause something to come to the surface of the sea.The ship was raised ten years after it had sunk.
- (nautical) To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it.to raise Sandy Hook light
- (figurative) To cause (a dead person) to live again, to cause to be undead.The magic spell raised the dead from their graves!
- (military) To remove or break up (a blockade), either by withdrawing the ships or forces employed in enforcing it, or by driving them away or dispersing them.
- (transitive) To create, increase or develop.We need to raise the motivation level in the company.to raise the quality of the products; to raise the price of goods
- To collect.to raise a lot of money for charity; to raise troops
- To bring up; to grow; to promote.We visited a farm where they raise chickens.Chew with your mouth shut — were you raised in a barn?to raise somebody to office
- To mention (a question, issue) for discussion.A few important questions were raised after the attack.
- (legal) To create; to constitute (a use, or a beneficial interest in property).There should be some consideration (i.e. payment or exchange) to raise a use.
- (obsolete) To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear.
- Bible, Deuteronomy xviii. 18.I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee.
- John Milton (1608-1674)God vouchsafes to raise another world From him Noah, and all his anger to forget.
- 1922, Ben Travers, A Cuckoo in the Nest Chapter 5, The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite....Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
- (poker, intransitive) To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand.John bet, and Julie raised requiring John to put in more money.
- (arithmetic) To exponentiate, to involute.Two raised to the fifth power equals 32.
- (linguistics, transitive, of a verb) To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause.