I. ˈrānj noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, row of persons, from Anglo-French range, renge, from renger to range
Date: 14th century
1.
a.
(1) : a series of things in a line : row
(2) : a series of mountains
(3) : one of the north-south rows of townships in a United States public-land survey that are numbered east and west from the principal meridian of the survey
b. : an aggregate of individuals in one order
c. : a direction line
2. : a cooking stove that has an oven and a flat top with burners or heating elements
3.
a. : a place that may be ranged over
b. : an open region over which animals (as livestock) may roam and feed
c. : the region throughout which a kind of organism or ecological community naturally lives or occurs
4. : the act of ranging about
5.
a.
(1) : the horizontal distance to which a projectile can be propelled
(2) : the horizontal distance between a weapon and target
b. : the maximum distance a vehicle or craft can travel without refueling
c.
(1) : a place where shooting is practiced
(2) : driving range
6.
a. : the space or extent included, covered, or used : scope
b. : the extent of pitch covered by a melody or lying within the capacity of a voice or instrument
7.
a. : a sequence, series, or scale between limits
a wide range of patterns
b. : the limits of a series : the distance or extent between possible extremes
c. : the difference between the least and greatest values of an attribute or of the variable of a frequency distribution
8.
a. : the set of values a function may take on
b. : the class of admissible values of a variable
9. : line 11
Synonyms:
range , gamut , compass , sweep , scope , orbit mean the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control). range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities
the entire range of human experience
gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another
a performance that ran the gamut of emotions
compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity
your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study
sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity
the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity
scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible
as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened
orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation
within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change
II. verb
( ranged ; rang·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French renger, from renc, reng line, place, row — more at rank
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to set in a row or in the proper order
b. : to place among others in a position or situation
c. : to assign to a category : classify
2.
a. : to rove over or through
b. : to sail or pass along
3. : to arrange (an anchor cable) on deck
4. : to graze (livestock) on a range
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to roam at large or freely
b. : to move over an area so as to explore it
2. : to take a position
3.
a. : to correspond in direction or line : align
b. : to extend in a particular direction
4. : to have range
5. : to change or differ within limits
6. of an organism : to live or occur in or be native to a region