rayray /reɪ/ ●○○ noun [countable] 
The room darkened as a cloud hid the sun’s rays.ray of Rays of light filtered through the trees.2a beam of heat, electricity, or other form of energy → cosmic ray, gamma ray, X-ray13a ray of hope/light etc something that provides a small amount of hope or happiness in a difficult situation: a treatment that offers a ray of hope for cancer sufferers4a ray of sunshine someone who is happy and makes a difficult situation seem better5catch some/a few rays informal to sit or lie in the sun: Let’s go out and catch a few rays.6a large flat sea fish with a long pointed tail
WORD ORIGINray
Origin:
1-5 1300-1400 Old French rai, from Latin radius; ➔ RADIUS6 1300-1400 Old French raie, from Latin raiaEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a gun that fires invisible rays
- The first rays of the sun pierced the canopy of leaves above us, and the forest began to wake up.
- the sun's rays
- Use a sunscreen to protect your skin against the sun's harmful rays.
- A conventional lens maps each light ray to a particular point on an image plane.
- If mutagens like cosmic rays are present then all normal mutation rates are boosted.
- Like the sun's rays, sunbeds accelerate ageing and increase the chances of getting skin cancer.
- On a sunny evening you can stay to catch the last of the sun's rays highlighting Scafell's famous buttresses.
Longman Language Activatorlight from the sun, a fire, an electric light etc
· Light was coming into the room through a crack in the door.· a gas lamp that gives as much light as a 100 watt bulbthe light (=the amount of natural light in a place) · The light was fading, and I was afraid we wouldn't be home before dark.good/strong/bright light · The light isn't good enough to take a photograph.poor/dim/fading light · In the fading light she could just make out the shape of a tractor.soft/warm light · The valley was bathed in the soft light of dawn.cold/harsh light · the cold blue light of the Arcticblinding/dazzling light (=very strong light that hurts your eyes) · a sudden flash of blinding lightby the light of the moon/the fire/a candle (=with only the moon etc to give light) · She sat reading by the light of the fire.
spoken use this to say that there is natural daylight, so that you can see easily enough to do something: · Let's go now while it's still light.· It's not light enough to play outside.
the natural light of day: in daylight: · I'd like to look at the house again in daylight.daylight hours (=the time when it is light): · The park is open during daylight hours.
the light from the sun: · Her long blonde hair was shining in the sunlight.· We emerged from the dark forest into the sunlight. direct sunlight: · Keep the plant out of direct sunlight.
the light from the moon: · The trees looked strangely white in the moonlight.· Moonlight came in through the curtains, lighting up the children's sleeping faces.
a very bright and unpleasant light that makes you want to close your eyes or turn your head away: glare of: · the glare of the car's headlights· The heat and glare of the furnace is immense.
a soft pleasant light, especially from something that is burning: · Candles give a warm glow to the room.glow of: · the orange glow of the sunset
a line of light shining from something such as a lamp: · We could see the beams of searchlights scanning the sky.beam of light: · Maggie stumbled across the field with only a narrow beam of light from her flashlight to help her.
a line of light, especially one shining from the sun: · Use a sunscreen to protect your skin against the sun's harmful rays.· The first rays of the sun pierced the canopy of leaves above us, and the forest began to wake up.
WORD SETSanchovy, nounbarracuda, nounbass, nouncarp, nouncod, nounconger eel, noundab, noundogfish, noundorsal, adjectivedory, nouneel, nounfin, nounfish, nounfish farm, nounflatfish, nounflounder, nounflying fish, noungill, noungoldfish, nounguppy, nounhaddock, nounhake, nounhalibut, nounherring, nounmarlin, nounminnow, nounmullet, nounpelagic, adjectiveperch, nounpike, nounpilchard, nounpiranha, nounplaice, nounray, nounroach, nounsalmon, nounsardine, nounschool, nounshark, nounskate, nounsnapper, nounsole, nounspawn, verbspawn, nounsprat, nounsturgeon, nounsunfish, nountiddler, nountrout, nountuna, nountunny, nounturbot, nounwhitebait, nounwhiting, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES ultraviolet radiation from the sun the sun's harmful UV raysCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=a photograph of the inside of your chest, to see if it is healthy)· A chest X-ray showed that there was damage to his lungs.
(=a little hope, or something that gives you a little hope)· The new treatment gives patients a glimmer of hope.
(=a thin line of light)· There was a shaft of light from the doorway.
· This moisturiser will also protect skin from the sun’s rays.
· A shaft of sunlight illuminated the left side of his face.
· A ray of sunshine filtered through the dirty window.
ultraviolet radiation from the sun the sun's harmful UV rays· This occurs in the upper atmosphere when neutrons produced by cosmic rays interact with nitrogen atoms.· As noted earlier, water is the most useful shielding material against cosmic rays and solar protons.· If mutagens like cosmic rays are present then all normal mutation rates are boosted.· A stray cosmic ray might do the same thing.· These isotopes begin to decay as soon as the meteorites enter the Earth's atmosphere, where they become shielded from cosmic rays.· Glaser switched his area of research from bubble chambers and cosmic rays to molecular biology and biophysics.· Deep space, however, is saturated with cosmic rays.· These minerals receive radiation both internally, from the ceramic, and externally, from the burial environment and cosmic rays.
· These are the harmful rays which cause skin cancer.· It has sunscreens to protect you from the sun's harmful rays, and a unique bio-collagen complex to nourish and moisturise.· These preparations absorb or block out the sun's harmful ultra-violet rays.· It filters out harmful ultra-violet rays and inhibits mould growth.
· The radial path of a light ray in these new coordinates is which has two solutions:.· These light rays land on a group of nerve cells in the back of your eye, called the retina.· Suddenly I realized that the paths of these light rays could never approach one another.· To the Hawaiian eye, waves are light rays bending round the planet from distant lands.· So the paths of light rays in the event horizon had always to be moving parallel to, or away from, each other.· These visits cause some disturbance to the plants and to the paths of light rays.· Possibly the occasional spurious light ray causes a corresponding bad reading whose error is averaged out.· We also have to take into account the passage of light rays through the highly curved space-time near the expanding object.
· High up in the sky was a protective layer of gas that screened out dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun.· It allows an insomniac who can not get exposure to sunlight to still benefit from the regulating effects of ultraviolet rays.· In one case, a market trader offered cheap sunglasses, claiming they protected the wearer from ultraviolet solar rays.· They help deplete the ozone layer, allowing ultraviolet rays to cause deadly skin cancers.
· All sunscreens work because they contain ingredients which either absorb or reflect UV rays before they harm and damage the skin.· To ward off the UV rays, wear a hat and bring sunscreen.· The monitor picks up the amount of ultraviolet or UV rays coming from the sun.· An intact Ozone Layer prevents about 99% of the sun's UV rays from reaching the Earth.· If, for any reason, the stratospheric Ozone Layer becomes thin, its effectiveness as a barrier to UV rays decreases.
NOUN· Indeed, much development work is required before cathode ray tube performance can be attained.· Male speaker Joe was more interested in wires and cathode ray tubes.
· The radiation emitted by these isotopes consists of alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.· The idea, in both the military and medical applications, is to use gamma rays to search for signs of radiation.· Fresh soil samples, taken recently in the presence of journalists, are currently being investigated for gamma rays and alpha particles.· The Director says that the Gamma rays can easily be detected at the far side of a foot of steel armor plating.· X-rays and gamma rays are the shortest electromagnetic waves, with wavelengths less than a 1000 millionths of a centimetre.· Indeed, both gamma rays and X-rays can be extremely damaging to living cells.· Moreover, the detector would have to be in space, because gamma rays can not penetrate the atmosphere.· We must lift detectors above the atmosphere to study gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and long infrared radiations.
· Indeed, much development work is required before cathode ray tube performance can be attained.· The company manufactures chemicals that absorb gasses in vacuum containers such as cathode-ray tubes used in televisions and stereos.
VERB· He excelled when he caught fine rays of sunlight dappling the surface of a lake.· Clothes, sleeping bags, spare canvas, all were hung up or spread out to catch a few rays of sunshine.· The pink brick and grey slate was catching the dying rays of the sun.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► a ray of sunshinePHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1a straight narrow beam of light from the sun or moon: - Amid the crushing disappointment of the general election there was a ray of light for the Conservatives.
- Besides, today there had been a ray of hope.
- But only when a ray of light attempts to pierce this darkness does the real, eerie action unroll.
- But the Red Or Dead catwalk show offered a ray of hope.
- Each time a ray of light passes through a lens it is slightly weakened.
- The Government's resignation is a victory, a ray of hope to take into the dark days ahead.
- Clothes, sleeping bags, spare canvas, all were hung up or spread out to catch a few rays of sunshine.
- As well as soaking up the sun, Emma says she's particularly looking forward to scuba diving and swimming in Stingray City.
- But everyone enjoyed the opportunity to relax, socialise and soak up the sun.
- Elena Fonti lay on the beach soaking up the sun.
- Others will take it easier, relax in the garden and soak up the sun.
- She had lain with Maggie beside the swimming pool and had let her whole body soak up the sun.
- The perfect setting for relaxing and soaking up the sun.
- Where fishermen once set out to sea, now travellers stop to soak up the sun which bakes the sandy shores.
- Without it, the green machinery that soaks up the sun's energy is starved.
The room darkened as a cloud hid the sun’s rays.ray of Rays of light filtered through the trees.2a beam of heat, electricity, or other form of energy → cosmic ray, gamma ray, X-ray13a ray of hope/light etc something that provides a small amount of hope or happiness in a difficult situation: a treatment that offers a ray of hope for cancer sufferers4a ray of sunshine someone who is happy and makes a difficult situation seem better5catch some/a few rays informal to sit or lie in the sun: Let’s go out and catch a few rays.6a large flat sea fish with a long pointed tail