transitive verb
ranged, rang′ing- to arrange in a certain order; esp., to set in a row or rows
- to put into the proper class or classes; systematize
- to place with others in a cause, party, etc.: to range oneself with the rebels
- to put (a gun, telescope, etc.) in a line with the target or object, at a proper angle of elevation; train
- Now Rare to make level or even
- to travel over or through; roam about: to range the woods
- to travel or move along: to range the coastline
- to put out (cattle, etc.) to graze on a range
- to arrange (the anchor cable) in even rows on deck
Origin of range
Middle English rangen from Old French ranger, variant, variety of rengier, to arrange in a circle, row (from source Middle English rengen) from renc from Frankish an unverified form hring, akin to OE, Old High German hring, ring- to extend, reach, or lie in a given direction or in a row: hills ranging toward the south
- to wander about; roam
- to move about an area, as in hunting: dogs ranging through the woods
- to have a specified range: a gun that ranges five miles
- to vary between stated limits: children ranging in age from 5 to 12
- Biol. to be native to a specified region
- a row, line, or series; rank
- a class, kind, or order
- a series of connected mountains or hills considered as a single system
- the maximum effective horizontal distance that a weapon can fire its projectile
- the horizontal distance from a weapon to its target
- the path of flight for a missile or rocket
- the distance to or from any target, goal, or object of interest: to view a wild animal at close range
- the maximum distance a plane, etc. can travel without fueling
- a place for shooting practice
- a place for testing rockets in flight
- the full extent over which something moves or is heard, seen, understood, effective, etc.; scope: the range of one's studies
- full extent of pitch, from highest to lowest tones, of a voice, instrument, composition, etc.
- a wandering or roaming
- a large, open area of land over which livestock can wander and graze
- the limits of possible variations of amount, degree, etc.: a wide range of prices
- a unit for cooking, typically including an oven and surface heating units and usually operated by gas or electricity
- in U.S. public surveying, a strip of land between two meridian lines six miles apart, constituting a row of townships
- Biol. the region to which a plant or animal is native
- Math. the set of all distinct values that may be taken on by a given function
- Statistics the difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample
Origin of range
ME reng < OFr renc of a range, or open grazing place
