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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL7 source sections across 2 headwords matching “Ray”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
RayEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
* As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond. * Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King. * Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe. * Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye. * As a Scottish Gaelic surname, shortened from McRae. * As a French surname, from the verb raier (“to gush out, flow, radiate”). Compare Leray. * As a Polish and Slovene surname, Americanized from Raj, from raj (“paradise”). * As an Indian surname, variant of Rai.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗RayEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
From Persian ری (ray /rey), from Middle Persian, from Old Persian 𐎼𐎥𐎠 (r-g-a /ragā/), a Median district. Compare Akkadian 𒊏𒂵𒀪 (ra-ga-'), Elamite 𒊩𒋡𒀭 (rák-ka₄-an) (loc.), Ancient Greek Ῥάγαι (Rhágai), Latin Rhagae, Rhaganae, Iranian borrowings.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rayEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
Via Middle English, borrowed from Old French rai, from Latin radius (“staff, stake, spoke”). Doublet of radius.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rayEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
From Middle English raye, rayȝe, from Old French raie, from Latin raia, of uncertain origin. Compare Middle English reyhhe, reihe, reȝge (“ray, skate”), from Old English reohhe (“ray”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rayEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
Shortened from array.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rayEnglish (en) · Etymology 4Source text
From its sound, by analogy with the letters chay, jay, gay, kay, which it resembles graphically.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗rayEnglish (en) · Etymology 5Source text
Alternative forms.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
More sources for this spelling
These are spelling matches, not a claim of identical senses or agreement. Historical accounts retain their own editions and limits; none is automatically promoted into reviewed ancestry.
Chambers (1908)
1908- RayEnglish · e-38699-5264
Ray, rā, n. array.—v.t. to array—hence, ironically, (Shak.) to bedaub. [Array.]
Read the full source record → - RayEnglish · e-38699-5265
Ray, rā, n. a line of light or heat: a beam or gleam of intellectual light: a radiating part of any structure: (bot.) the outer part of a flower-cluster.—v.t. to radiate: to furnish with rays.—v.i. to shine out.—adjs. Ra
Read the full source record → - RayEnglish · e-38699-5266
Ray, rā, n. a popular name for such flat, cartilaginous fishes as the skate, thornback, and torpedo.—n. Ray′-oil, oil prepared from the livers of ray-fish. [Fr. raie—L. raia.]
Read the full source record → - RayEnglish · e-38699-5267
Ray, rā, n. the scab—a disease of sheep.
Read the full source record → - RayEnglish · e-38699-5268
Ray, rā, n. (mus.) the second note of the diatonic scale.
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