rail

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   short for railway

   We traveled by rail.

2. 2
   verb

   fish with a handline over the rails of a boat

   They are railing for fresh fish

3. 3
   verb

   lay with rails

   hundreds of miles were railed out here

4. 4
   verb

   travel by rail or train

   They railed from Rome to Venice

5. 5
   verb

   convey (goods etc.) by rails

   fresh fruit are railed from Italy to Belgium

6. 6
   verb

   separate with a railing

   rail off the crowds from the Presidential palace

7. 7
   verb

   provide with rails

   The yard was railed

8. 8
   verb

   enclose with rails

   rail in the old graves

Etymology

From Middle English rail, rayl, *reȝel, *reȝol (found in reȝolsticke (“a ruler”)), partly from Old English regol (“a ruler, straight bar”) and partly from Old French reille; both from Latin regula (“rule, bar”), from regō (“to rule, to guide, to govern”); see regular. Doublet of regal, regula, rigol, and rule.