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reach |
8 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Retch \Retch\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Retched}; p. pr & vb n. {Retching}.] [AS. hr?can to clear the throat, hawk, fr hraca throat; akin to G. rachen, and perhaps to E. rack neck.] To make an effort to vomit; to strain, as in vomiting. [Written also {reach}.] Beloved Julia, hear me still beseeching! (Here he grew inarticulate with retching.) --Byron. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Reach \Reach\, n. An effort to vomit. [R.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Reach \Reach\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Reached}({Raught}, the old preterit, is obsolete); p. pr & vb n. {Reaching}.] [OE. rechen AS r[=ae]can, r[=ae]cean, to extend, stretch out akin to D. reiken G. reichen and possibly to AS r[=i]ce powerful, rich, E. rich. [root]115.] 1. To extend; to stretch; to thrust out to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like Her tresses yellow, and long straughten, Unto her heeles down they raughten --Rom. of R. Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side --John xx 27. Fruit trees, over woody, reached too far Their pampered boughs. --Milton. 2. Hence to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over as to reach one a book. He reached me a full cap. --2 Esd. xiv. 39. 3. To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; too extend some part of the body, or something held by one so as to touch, strike, grasp, or the like as to reach an object with the hand, or with a spear. O patron power, . . . thy present aid afford, Than I may reach the beast. --Dryden. 4. To strike, hit, or tough with a missile; as to reach an object with an arrow, a bullet, or a shell. 5. Hence to extend an action effort, or influence to to penetrate to to pierce, or cut, as far as If these examples of grown men reach not the case of children, let them examine. --Locke. 6. To extend to to stretch out as far as to touch by virtue of extent; as his hand reaches the river. Thy desire . . . leads to no excess That reaches blame. --Milton. 7. To arrive at by effort of any kind to attain to to gain; to be advanced to The best account of the appearances of nature which human penetration can reach, comes short of its reality. --Cheyne. 9. To understand; to comprehend. [Obs.] Do what sir? I reach you not --Beau. & Fl 10. To overreach; to deceive. [Obs.] --South. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Reach \Reach\, n. 1. The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown; as the fruit is beyond my reach; to be within reach of cannon shot. 2. The power of stretching out or extending action influence, or the like power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity. Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters which they least intended. --Hayward. Be sure yourself and your own reach to know --Pope. 3. Extent; stretch; expanse; hence application; influence; result; scope. And on the left hand, hell, With long reach, interposed. --Milton. I am to pray you not to strain my speech To grosser issues, nor to larger reach Than to suspicion. --Shak. 4. An extended portion of land or water; a stretch; a straight portion of a stream or river, as from one turn to another; a level stretch, as between locks in a canal; an arm of the sea extending up into the land. ``The river's wooded reach.'' --Tennyson. The coast . . . is very full of creeks and reaches. --Holland. 5. An article to obtain an advantage. The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design. --Bacon. 6. The pole or rod which connects the hind axle with the forward bolster of a wagon. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Reach \Reach\, v. t. 1. To stretch out the hand. Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste! --Milton. 2. To strain after something to make efforts. Reaching above our nature does no good. --Dryden. 3. To extend in dimension, time, amount, action influence, etc., so as to touch, attain to or be equal to something And behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. --Gen. xxviii. 12. The new world reaches quite across the torrid zone. --Boyle. 4. (Naut.) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the ind nearly abeam. {To reach after} or {at}, to make efforts to attain to or obtain. He would be in the mind reaching after a positive idea of infinity. --Locke. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: reach n 1: the limits within which something can be effective; "he was beyond the range of their fire" [syn: {range}] 2: an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"; "the ambit of municipal legislation"; "within the compass of this article"; within the scope of an investigation"; "outside the reach of the law"; "in the political orbit of a world power" [syn: {scope}, {range}, {orbit}, {compass}, {ambit}] 3: the act of physically reaching or thrusting out [syn: {reaching}, {stretch}] 4: the limit of capability; "within the compass of education" [syn: {compass}, {range}, {grasp}] v 1: reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit Detroit by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made the plane"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts" [syn: {attain}, {make}, {hit}, {arrive at}, {gain}] 2: reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour" [syn: {hit}, {attain}] 3: move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense: "Government reaches out to the people" [syn: {reach out}] 4: be in communication with establish communication with "Our advertisements reach millions" [syn: {get through}, {get hold of}, {contact}] 5: to gain with effort: "she achieved her goal despite setbacks." [syn: {achieve}, {accomplish}, {attain}] 6: to extend as far as "The sunlight reached the wall";"Can he reach?" [syn: {extend to}, {touch}] 7: reach a goal, e.g., "make the first team"; "We made it!" "She may not make the grade" [syn: {make}, {get to}, {progress to}] 8: place into the hands or custody of "Turn the files over to me please"; "He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers" [syn: {pass}, {hand}, {pass on}, {turn over}, {give}] 9: to exert much effort or energy: "straining our ears to hear." [syn: {strive}, {strain}] From V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms 13 March 2001 [vera]: REACH Research and Educational Applications of Computers in the Humanities From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]: REACH, n. The radius of action of the human hand. The area within which it is possible (and customary) to gratify directly the propensity to provide. This is a truth, as old as the hills, That life and experience teach: The poor man suffers that keenest of ills, An impediment of his reach. G.J.
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