Chapter 56

Ru`ta-ba"ga (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of turnip commonly with a large and long or ovoid yellowish root; a Swedish turnip. See Turnip.

Ru*ta"ceous (?), a. [L. rutaceous, from ruta rue. See Rue the plant.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to plants of a natural order (Rutaceæ) of which the rue is the type, and which includes also the orange, lemon, dittany, and buchu.

Ru"tate (r"tt), n. (Chem.) A salt of rutic acid.

Ruth (rth), n. [From Rue, v.: cf. Icel. hryggð, hrygð.] 1. Sorrow for the misery of another; pity; tenderness. [Poetic] "They weep for ruth." Chaucer. "Have ruth of the poor." Piers Plowman.

To stir up gentle ruth, Both for her noble blood, and for her tender youth.

Spenser.

2. That which causes pity or compassion; misery; distress; a pitiful sight. [Obs.]

It had been hard this ruth for to see.

Chaucer.

With wretched miseries and woeful ruth.

Spenser.

Ru*then"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, ruthenium; specifically, designating those compounds in which it has a higher valence as contrasted with ruthenious compounds.

Ru*the"ni*ous (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, ruthenium; specifically, designating those compounds in which it has a lower valence as contrasted with ruthenic compounds.

Ru*the"ni*um (?), n. [NL. So named from the Ruthenians, a Little Russian people, as coming from Russia, the metal having been found in the Ural mountains.] (Chem.) A rare element of the light platinum group, found associated with platinum ores, and isolated as a hard, brittle steel-gray metal which is very infusible. Symbol Ru. Atomic weight 103.5. Specific gravity 12.26. See Platinum metals, under Platinum.

Ruth"ful (?), a. Full of ruth; as: (a) Pitiful; tender. (b) Full of sorrow; woeful. (c) Causing sorrow. Shak. -- Ruth"ful*ly, adv.

Ruth"less, a. Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.

Their rage the hostile bands restrain, All but the ruthless monarch of the main.

Pope.

-- Ruth"less*ly, adv. -- Ruth"less*ness, n.

Ru"tic (r"tk), a. [Cf. Rutaceous.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or obtained from, rue (Ruta); as, rutic acid, now commonly called capric acid.

Ru"ti*lant (&?;), a. [L. rutilans, p. pr. of rutilare to have a reddish glow, fr. rutilus red: cf. F. rutilant.] Having a reddish glow; shining.

Parchments . . . colored with this rutilant mixture.

Evelyn.

Ru"ti*late (?), v. i. [L. rutilare, rutilatum.] To shine; to emit rays of light. [Obs.] Ure.

Ru"tile (r"tl), n. [L. rutilus red, inclining to golden yellow.] (Min.) A mineral usually of a reddish brown color, and brilliant metallic adamantine luster, occurring in tetragonal crystals. In composition it is titanium dioxide, like octahedrite and brookite.

Ru*til"i*an (r*tl"*an), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of lamellicorn beetles belonging to Rutila and allied genera, as the spotted grapevine beetle (Pelidnota punctata).

Ru"tin (r"tn), n. (Chem.) A glucoside resembling, but distinct from, quercitrin. Rutin is found in the leaves of the rue (Ruta graveolens) and other plants, and obtained as a bitter yellow crystalline substance which yields quercitin on decomposition.

Rut"ter (rt"tr), n. [D. ruiter a rider. Cf. Ruttier.] A horseman or trooper. [Obs.]

Such a regiment of rutters Never defied men braver.

Beau. & Fl.

Rut"ter, n. [From Rut.] That which ruts.

Rut"ter*kin (?), n. An old crafty fox or beguiler -- a word of contempt. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

Rut"ti*er (?), n. [F. routier, fr. route a road. See Route.] A chart of a course, esp. at sea. [Obs.]

Rut"tish (?), a. Inclined to rut; lustful; libidinous; salacious. Shak. -- Rut"tish*ness, n.

Rut"tle, n. A rattling sound in the throat arising from difficulty of breathing; a rattle. [Obs.]

Rut"ty (?), a. Ruttish; lustful.

Rut"ty, a. Full of ruts; as, a rutty road.

Rut"ty, a. [See Root.] Rooty. [Obs.] Spenser.

Ru"ty*lene (?), n. (Chem.) A liquid hydrocarbon, C10H18, of the acetylene series. It is produced artificially.

Ry"al (? or ?), a. Royal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ry"al (?), n. See Rial, an old English coin.

Ry"der (?), n. 1. A clause added to a document; a rider. See Rider. [Obs.]

2. [D. rijder, properly, a rider.] A gold coin of Zealand [Netherlands] equal to 14 florins, about $ 5.60.

Rye (?), n. [OE. rie, reie, AS. ryge; akin to Icel. rugr, Sw. råg, Dan. rug, D. rogge, OHG. rocco, roggo, G. rocken, roggen, Lith. rugei, Russ. roje, and perh. to Gr. 'o`ryza rice. Cf. Rice.] 1. (Bot.) A grain yielded by a hardy cereal grass (Secale cereale), closely allied to wheat; also, the plant itself. Rye constitutes a large portion of the breadstuff used by man.

2. A disease in a hawk. Ainsworth.

Rye grass, Italian rye grass, (Bot.) See under Grass. See also Ray grass, and Darnel. -- Wild rye (Bot.), any plant of the genus Elymus, tall grasses with much the appearance of rye.

Rynd (? or ?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A piece of iron crossing the hole in the upper millstone by which the stone is supported on the spindle.

Ry"ot (r"t), n. [Ar. & Hind. ra'iyat, the same word as ra'iyah, a subject, tenant, peasant. See Rayah.] A peasant or cultivator of the soil. [India]

The Indian ryot and the Egyptian fellah work for less pay than any other laborers in the world.

The Nation.

Ry*poph"a*gous (r*pf"*gs), a. [Gr. "ry`pos filth + fagei^n to eat.] (Zoöl.) Eating, or subsisting on, filth.

Rys (rs or rs), n. A branch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Rysh (rsh), n. Rush, a plant. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ry*sim"e*ter (?), n. See Rhysimeter.

Ryth (rth), n. [Cf. AS. rið brook.] A ford. [Obs.]

||Ryt"i*na (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. "ryti`s a wrinkle.] (Zoöl.) A genus of ||large edentulous sirenians, allied to the dugong and manatee, ||including but one species (R. Stelleri); -- called also Steller's sea ||cow. [Written also Rhytina.]

It is now extinct, but was formerly abundant at Behring's Island, near Behring's Straits. It was twenty-five feet or more in length, with a thick, blackish, naked skin. The last were killed in 1768 for their oil and flesh.