RAKE, n.

An instrument consisting of a head-piece in which teeth are other light things which are spread over a large surface, or in gardens for breaking and smoothing the earth.

A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a man addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices. – Addison. Pope.

1. The projection of the upper parts of a ship, at the highth of the stem and stern, beyond the extremities of the keel. The distance between a perpendicular line from the extremity of stem or stern to the end of the keel, is the length of the rake; one the fore-rite, the other the rake-oft.
2. The inclination of a mast from a perpendicular direction. – Mar. Dict.
3. The forward inclination of a mill-saw.

1. To scrape: to scratch into for finding something; to search minutely and meanly; as, to rake into a dunghill. – South.
2. To search with minute inspection into every part. One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words. – Dryden.
3. To pass with violence or rapidity. Pas could not stay, but over him did rake. – Sidney.
4. To seek by raking; as, to rake for oysters.
5. To lead a dissolute, debauched life. – Shenstone.
6. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.

1. Properly, to scrape; to rub or scratch with something rough; as, to rake the ground.
2. To gather with a rake; as, to rake hay or barley.
3. To clear with a rake; to smooth with a rake; as, to rule a bed in a garden; to rake land.
4. To collect or draw together something scattered; to gather by violence; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town.
5. To scour; to search with eagerness all corners of a place. The statesman rakes the town to find a plot. – Swift.
6. In the military art, to enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of any thing; particularly in naval engagements, to rake is to cannonade a ship on the stern or head, so that the balls range the whole length of the deck. Hence the phrase, to rake a ship fore and aft. To rake up, applied to fire, is to cover the fire with ashes.

1. An implement consisting of a headpiece having teeth, and a long handle at right angles to it, -- used for collecting hay, or other light things which are spread over a large surface, or for breaking and smoothing the earth.
2. To collect with a rake] as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves.
3. To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting; to scrape; to search minutely.
   
   

   One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words. Dryden.

4. The inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc.
   
   
   ; especially (Naut.)
5. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.
   
   

   Raking course (Bricklaying), a course of bricks laid diagonally between the face courses in a thick wall, to strengthen it.

6. A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a person addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices; a debauchee; a roué.
   
   

   An illiterate and frivolous old rake. Macaulay.

7. To walk about; to gad or ramble idly.
   
   
   [Prov. Eng.]
8. A toothed machine drawn by a horse, -- used for collecting hay or grain; a horserake.
9. To collect or draw together with laborious industry; to gather from a wide space; to scrape together; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town.
10. To pass with violence or rapidity; to scrape along.
    
    

    Pas could not stay, but over him did rake. Sir P. Sidney.

11. To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life.
    
    
    Shenstone.

    To rake out (Falconry), to fly too far and wide from its master while hovering above waiting till the game is sprung; -- said of the hawk. Encyc. Brit.

12. A fissure or mineral vein traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so; -- called also rake-vein.
    
    

    Gill rakes. (Anat.) See under 1st Gill.

13. To pass a rake over; to scrape or scratch with a rake for the purpose of collecting and clearing off something, or for stirring up the soil; as, to rake a lawn; to rake a flower bed.
14. To search through; to scour; to ransack.
    
    

    The statesman rakes the town to find a plot. Swift.

15. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does.
    
    

    Like clouds that rake the mountain summits. Wordsworth.

16. To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of; in naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so that the balls range the whole length of the deck.
    
    

    To rake up. (a) To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and cover with ashes. (b) To bring up; to search out and bring to notice again; as, to rake up old scandals.