Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To stretch, or stretch out; reach out: reach or attain to; extend the hand to; hand: as, rax me ower the pitcher.
  • To perform the act of reaching or stretching; stretch one's self; reach for or try to obtain something.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun gaming slang barracks
  • verb UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive To stretch; stretch out.
  • verb UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive To reach out; reach or attain to.
  • verb UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, transitive To extend the hand to; hand or pass something.
  • verb UK, dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, intransitive To perform the act of reaching or stretching; stretch one's self; reach for or try to obtain something
  • verb UK, dialectal, intransitive To stretch after sleep.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Shortening of barracks.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English raxen, rasken ("to stretch oneself"), from Old English raxan, racsan ("to stretch oneself after sleep"), probably alteration, with formative s, of Old English ræcan, ræccan, reccan ("to stretch, extend"), from Proto-Germanic *rakjanan (“to stretch”), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- (“to make straight”). Related to Dutch rekken ("to stretch"), German recken ("to stretch"), Swedish räcka ("to suffice, reach, pass, last").

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Examples

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  • Scots - to strain, sprain.

    December 19, 2007