Rax

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ræks/
• Rhymes: -æks

From Middle English raxen, rasken ("to stretch oneself"), from Old English raxan, racsan ("to stretch oneself after sleep"), probably alteration, with formative s, of Old English ræcan, ræccan, reccan ("to stretch, extend"), from Proto-Germanic *rakjaną ("to stretch"), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- ("to make straight"). Related to Dutch rekken ("to stretch"), German recken ("to stretch"), Swedish räcka ("to suffice, reach, pass, last").

Full definition of rax

Verb

1. (UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive) To stretch; stretch out.
• 1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!:Shoeless, he stood naked on his toes, his arms raxed upwards.
2. (UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive) To reach out; reach or attain to.
3. (UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive) To extend the hand to; hand or pass something.Please rax me the pitcher.
• 1825, John Wilson, Robert Shelton Mackenzie, James Hogg, William Maginn and John Gibson Lockhart, Noctes Ambrosianæ No. XVIII, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 17:Wha the mischief set him on reading me? I'm sure he could never read onything in a dacent-like way since he was cleckit—rax me the Queen, and I'll let you hear a bit that will gar your hearts dinnle again—rax me the Queen, I say.
4. (UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, intransitive) To perform the act of reaching or stretching; stretch one's self; reach for or try to obtain something
5. (UK, dialectal, chiefly Scotland, intransitive) To stretch after sleep.

Derived terms

• outrax

Related terms

• raxle

Shortening of barracks.

Noun

1. (gaming slang) barracks----