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Definition of: rail
(rāl) noun
1. A bar, usually of wood or iron, resting on supports, as in a fence, at the side of a stairway, or capping the bulwarks of a ship; a horizontal wooden piece between panels, joining the stiles; also, a railing.
2. One of a series of parallel bars, of iron or steel, resting upon cross–ties, forming a support and guide for wheels, as of a railway.
3. A railway track considered as a means of transportation: to ship by rail.
—to go by rail To travel by train.
—to ride (someone) on a rail To put (a person) astride a rail and carry around or beyond the limits of a community, as a punishment.
—v.t. To furnish or shut in with rails; fence. [<OF reille <L regula. Doublet of RULE.]
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