race

I. noun Etymology: Middle English ras, from Old Norse rās; akin to Old English rǣs rush Date: 14th century 1. chiefly Scottish the act of running 2. a. a strong or rapid current of water flowing through a narrow channel b. a watercourse used industrially c. the current flowing in such a course 3. a. a set course or duration of time b. the course of life 4. a. a contest of speed b. plural a meeting in which several races (as for horses) are run c. a contest or rivalry involving progress toward a goal <

pennant race

> 5. a track or channel in which something rolls or slides; specifically a groove (as for the balls) in a bearing — see roller bearing illustration II. verb (raced; racing) Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to compete in a race 2. to go, move, or function at top speed or out of control <

people racing for safety

> <

a heart racing from excitement

> <

struggled to sleep as his mind raced

> 3. to revolve too fast under a diminished load transitive verb 1. to engage in a race with 2. a. to enter in a race b. to drive or ride at high speed c. to transport or propel at maximum speed 3. to speed (as an engine) without a working load or with the transmission disengaged III. noun Etymology: Middle French, generation, from Old Italian razza Date: 1580 1. a breeding stock of animals 2. a. a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock b. a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics <

the English race

> 3. a. an actually or potentially interbreeding group within a species; also a taxonomic category (as a subspecies) representing such a group b. breed c. a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits 4. obsolete inherited temperament or disposition 5. distinctive flavor, taste, or strength