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Wiktionary

raise

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijaną, *raizijaną (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rīsaną (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”). Cognate with Old English rāsian (“to explore, examine, research”), Old English rīsan (“to seize, carry off”), Old English rǣran (“to cause to rise, raise, rear, build, create”). Doublet of rear.

VerbEdit

raise (third-person singular simple present raises, present participle raising, simple past and past participle raised)

  1. (physical) To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
    to raise your hand if you want to say something; to raise your walking stick to defend yourself
    1. To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect.
      to raise a wall, or a heap of stones
      • Bible, Isaiah xxxix. 3
        I will raise forts against thee.
    2. To cause something to come to the surface of the sea.
      The ship was raised ten years after it had sunk.
    3. (nautical) To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it.
      to raise Sandy Hook light
    4. To make (bread, etc.) light, as by yeast or leaven.
    5. (figuratively) To cause (a dead person) to live again, to cause to be undead.
      The magic spell raised the dead from their graves!
    6. (military) To remove or break up (a blockade), either by withdrawing the ships or forces employed in enforcing it, or by driving them away or dispersing them.
    7. (military, transitive) To relinquish (a siege), or cause this to be done.
  2. (transitive) To create, increase or develop.
    We need to raise the motivation level in the company.
    to raise the quality of the products; to raise the price of goods
    1. To collect or amass.
      to raise a lot of money for charity; to raise troops
    2. To bring up; to grow; to promote.
      We visited a farm where they raise chickens.
      Chew with your mouth shut — were you raised in a barn?
      to raise somebody to office
    3. To mention (a question, issue) for discussion.
      A few important questions were raised after the attack.
    4. (law) To create; to constitute (a use, or a beneficial interest in property).
      There should be some consideration (i.e., payment or exchange) to raise a use.
    5. To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear.
      • Bible, Deuteronomy xviii. 18.
        I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee.
      • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
        God vouchsafes to raise another world From him [Noah], and all his anger to forget.
      • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
        The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. […] Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
  3. To establish contact with (e.g., by telephone or radio).
    Despite all the call congestion, she was eventually able to raise the police.
  4. (poker, intransitive) To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand.
    John bet, and Julie raised, requiring John to put in more money.
  5. (arithmetic) To exponentiate, to involute.
    Two raised to the fifth power equals 32.
  6. (linguistics, transitive, of a verb) To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause.
  7. (linguistics, transitive, of a vowel) To produce a vowel with the tongue positioned closer to the roof of the mouth.
  8. To increase the nominal value of (a cheque, money order, etc.) by fraudulently changing the writing or printing in which the sum payable is specified.
  9. (computing) To throw (an exception).
    A division by zero will raise an exception.
Usage notesEdit
  • It is standard US English to raise children, and this usage has become common in all kinds of English since the 1700s. Until fairly recently, however, US teachers taught the traditional rule that one should raise crops and animals, but rear children, despite the fact that this contradicted general usage. It is therefore not surprising that some people still prefer to rear children and that this is considered correct but formal in US English. It is widespread in UK English and not considered formal.
  • It is generally considered incorrect to rear crops or (adult) animals in US English, but this expression is common in UK English.
SynonymsEdit
  • (to cause to rise): lift
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from raise (verb)
TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

NounEdit

raise (plural raises)

  1. (US) An increase in wages or salary; a rise (UK).
    The boss gave me a raise.
  2. (weightlifting) A shoulder exercise in which the arms are elevated against resistance.
  3. (curling) A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward.
  4. (poker) A bet that increases the previous bet.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Norse hreysi; the spelling came about under the influence of the folk etymology that derived it from the verb.

NounEdit

raise (plural raises)

  1. A cairn or pile of stones.
TranslationsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

Middle EnglishEdit

NounEdit

raise

  1. Alternative form of reys
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