rank

I

[[t]ræŋk[/t]]

n.

1) a social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces:

the rank of captain[/ex]

2) high position or station:

a person of rank[/ex]

3) relative position or standing:

a writer of the first rank[/ex]

4) a row or series of things or persons

5) a number of persons forming a separate class, as in a social hierarchy

6) cvb mil ranks

a) the members of an armed service apart from its officers; enlisted personnel

b) military enlisted personnel as a group

7) Usu., ranks. the general body of any organization apart from the officers or leaders

8) orderly arrangement; array

9) a line of persons, esp. soldiers, standing abreast in close-order formation

(disting. from file I)

10) chs one of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard

11) mad a set of organ pipes of the same kind and tonal color

12) min Mining. the classification of coal according to hardness, from lignite to anthracite

13) to arrange in ranks or in regular formation

14) to assign to a particular position, class, etc.:

to be ranked among the experts[/ex]

15) to outrank

16) to form a rank or ranks

17) to take up or occupy a place in a particular rank, class, etc.:

to rank first in her class[/ex]

18) to have rank or standing

19) to be the senior in rank

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- break ranks

Etymology: 1560–70; < MF ranc (n.), OF renc, ranc, rang row, line rank′less, adj. II

rank

[[t]ræŋk[/t]] adj., -er, -est.

1) bot growing with excessive luxuriance; vigorous and tall of growth

2) having an offensive smell or taste:

a rank cigar[/ex]

3) utter; absolute:

a rank amateur[/ex]

4) highly offensive to one's moral sense; disgusting

5) grossly coarse or vulgar:

rank language[/ex]

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Etymology: bef. 1000; ME; OE ranc bold, proud; c. ON rakkr straight, bold rank′ish, adj. rank′ly, adv. rank′ness, n.