rail

B1 Topic:Transportation

US /ɹeɪ(ə)l/ See IPA manual

Freq #7603

Meanings

1

noun
The system of travelling by train.

We decided to travel across the country by rail.
2

noun
A fixed bar that you can hold on to or hang things on.

Hold the rail tightly as you go down the stairs.
3

verb
To travel or send goods by train.

Fresh vegetables are railed to the city every morning.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 verb · to travel or send goods by... train

Word family

Forms railedrailingrails

Derived forms anti-railantirailbedrailbreastrailbullrailcantrailcograilcrossrailderailenrailfife-railfootrail

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.

*h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European rail Middle English regol Old English reille Old French regula Latin

View etymology graph ->

External links

# rail

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ɹeɪ(ə)l/
**Frequency rank:** 7603

## Meanings
1. The system of travelling by train.
2. A fixed bar that you can hold on to or hang things on.
3. To travel or send goods by train.

## Examples
- We decided to travel across the country by rail.
- Hold the rail tightly as you go down the stairs.
- Fresh vegetables are railed to the city every morning.

## Derived Forms
- anti-rail
- antirail
- bedrail
- breastrail
- bullrail
- cantrail
- cograil
- crossrail
- derail
- enrail
- fife-rail
- footrail

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₃reǵ-
- Root: rail
- Root: regol
- Root: reille
- Root: regula

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Rail comes 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. Modern senses include the system of travelling by train. and a fixed bar that you can hold on to or hang things on.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as anti-rail, antirail, bedrail, breastrail, bullrail, and cantrail.

## Topics
- Transportation

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rail

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