Ray: meaning, definitions and examples

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ray

[reɪ ]

Definitions

^{Context #1 | Noun}

light

A narrow beam of light.

Synonyms

beam, gleam, shaft.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ray	Repeated mistakenly, no additional context or examples needed.
beam	Refers to a wide stream of light or energy. Often used when describing powerful sources of light, such as searchlights, headlights, or lasers. The lighthouse beamed its light across the ocean. A laser beam can cut through metal.
shaft	Describes a narrow, long line of light, often coming through an opening. Commonly used in expressive writing. A shaft of light pierced through the dark room. He stood silently as a shaft of sunlight illuminated his face.
gleam	Describes a soft, shining light, often reflected from a surface. Used in poetic or descriptive contexts. The gleam of the moonlight on the water was beautiful. Her eyes had a mischievous gleam.

Examples of usage

The sun's rays shone through the window.
She felt the warmth of the rays on her skin.

^{Context #2 | Noun}

marine biology

A flat-bodied marine fish with a whip-like tail, found in warm seas.

Synonyms

skate, stingray.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ray	In marine biology, this word refers to a group of fish with flattened bodies and extended pectoral fins, such as the manta ray. The diver spotted a large ray gliding gracefully through the water. Rays are closely related to sharks but have distinctly different body shapes.
skate	Use this term when referring to a type of fish related to rays, known for their flat bodies and wing-like pectoral fins. Commonly found in colder waters. The fisherman caught a large skate during his trip to the North Atlantic. Skates are often mistaken for stingrays due to their similar appearance.
stingray	This word is used to describe a specific type of ray that has a venomous spine on its tail used for defense, often found in warm, shallow waters. The tourist was careful to avoid stepping on a stingray while wading in the shallow water. Stingray injuries can be serious and require immediate medical attention.

Word

Description / Examples

ray

In marine biology, this word refers to a group of fish with flattened bodies and extended pectoral fins, such as the manta ray.

The diver spotted a large ray gliding gracefully through the water.
Rays are closely related to sharks but have distinctly different body shapes.

skate

Use this term when referring to a type of fish related to rays, known for their flat bodies and wing-like pectoral fins. Commonly found in colder waters.

The fisherman caught a large skate during his trip to the North Atlantic.
Skates are often mistaken for stingrays due to their similar appearance.

stingray

This word is used to describe a specific type of ray that has a venomous spine on its tail used for defense, often found in warm, shallow waters.

The tourist was careful to avoid stepping on a stingray while wading in the shallow water.
Stingray injuries can be serious and require immediate medical attention.

Examples of usage

The manta ray gracefully glided through the water.
Divers were amazed by the size of the ray swimming below them.

^{Context #3 | Noun}

mathematics

A line that extends indefinitely in one direction from a point.

Synonyms

line, vector.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ray	In geometry, a ray is a line that starts at one point and goes infinitely in one direction. In the diagram, the ray starts at point A and extends infinitely to the right A ray has one endpoint and extends infinitely in one direction
line	Commonly used in geometry, transportation routes, or to describe a long, thin mark. Draw a straight line across the paper The metro line will take you directly to the city center
vector	Primarily used in physics and mathematics to describe a quantity having both magnitude and direction. The displacement vector points from the starting position to the ending position Velocity is a vector quantity as it has both speed and direction

Word

Description / Examples

ray

In geometry, a ray is a line that starts at one point and goes infinitely in one direction.

In the diagram, the ray starts at point A and extends infinitely to the right
A ray has one endpoint and extends infinitely in one direction

line

Commonly used in geometry, transportation routes, or to describe a long, thin mark.

Draw a straight line across the paper
The metro line will take you directly to the city center

vector

Primarily used in physics and mathematics to describe a quantity having both magnitude and direction.

The displacement vector points from the starting position to the ending position
Velocity is a vector quantity as it has both speed and direction

Examples of usage

The ray starts at point A and goes on forever in one direction.
In geometry, a ray has one endpoint and extends indefinitely.

Interesting Facts

Etymology

The word 'ray' comes from the Latin term 'radius,' meaning 'spoke of a wheel' or 'beam.'
In Old English, 'ra' meant 'beam of light,' showing how long the term has been used in connection with illumination.

Physics

Light travels in rays, and they can be straight lines until they hit an object or pass through different materials.
Rays can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed depending on what they encounter, which affects how we see things.

Pop Culture

Rays are often featured in movies as special effects to show magical or otherworldly powers, like laser beams in sci-fi films.
The term 'ray' also appears in several music album titles and song lyrics, often symbolizing hope or positivity.

Biology

Animals like stingrays are named after their flat bodies which resemble rays of light spread out.
Certain rays can emit bio-luminescence, which means they can glow in the dark, just like some sea creatures!

Literature

In poetry, rays of light often symbolize knowledge or enlightenment, suggesting hope or inspiration.
Authors have used rays as metaphors for truth or clarity emerging from confusion or darkness.

Translations

Translations of the word "ray" in other languages:

🇵🇹 raio

feixe
raio de luz

🇮🇳 किरण

🇩🇪 Strahl

🇮🇩 sinar

🇺🇦 промінь

🇵🇱 promień

🇯🇵 光線 (こうせん)

🇫🇷 rayon

🇪🇸 rayo

🇹🇷 ışın

🇰🇷 광선

🇸🇦 شعاع

🇨🇿 paprsek

🇸🇰 lúč

🇨🇳 光线 (guāngxiàn)

🇸🇮 žarek

🇮🇸 geisli

🇰🇿 сәуле

🇬🇪 სხივი

🇦🇿 şüa

🇲🇽 rayo

Word Frequency Rank

At position #2,665, this word belongs to solid intermediate vocabulary. It's frequently used in both casual and formal contexts and is worth learning for better fluency.

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2668 centers
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