[race] n [ME ras, fr. ON ras; akin to OE raes rush] (14c) 1 chiefly Scot: 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 pl: a meeting in which several races (as for horses) are run c: a contest or rivalry involving progress toward a goal "pennant ~"
5: a track or channel in which something rolls or slides; specif: a groove (as for the balls) in a bearing--see roller bearing illustration
[2]race vb raced ; rac.ing vi (15c) 1: to compete in a race
2: to go or move at top speed or out of control
3: to revolve too fast under a diminished load ~ vt 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 [3]race n [MF, generation, fr. OIt razza] (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 community of interests, habits, or characteristics "the English ~" 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 division of mankind possessing traits that are transmissible by descent and sufficient to characterize it as a distinct human type
4. obs: inherited temperament or disposition
5: distinctive flavor, taste, or strength