| rasp | 1. To rub or file with a rasp; to rub or grate with a rough file; as, to rasp wood to make it smooth; to rasp bones to powder. 2. Hence, figuratively: To grate harshly upon; to offend by coarse or rough treatment or language; as, some sounds rasp the ear; his insults rasped my temper. Origin: OF. Rasper, F. Raper, to scrape, grate, rasp, fr. OHG. Raspon to scrape together, to collect, probably akin to E. Rap. Cf. Rap to snatch. 1. A coarse file, on which the cutting prominences are distinct points raised by the oblique stroke of a sharp punch, instead of lines raised by a chisel, as on the true file. 2. The raspberry. "Set sorrel amongst rasps, and the rasps will be smaller. <botany>" Rasp palm, a Brazilian palm tree (Iriartea exorhiza) which has strong aerial roots like a screw pine. The roots have a hard, rough surface, and are used by the natives for graters and rasps, whence the common name. Origin: OE. Raspe, OF. Raspe, F. Rape. See Rasp. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| raspatory | A surgical instrument used to smooth the edges of a divided bone. Origin: L. Raspatorium (05 Mar 2000) |
| raspberry | <botany> The thimble-shaped fruit of the Rubus Idaeus and other similar brambles; as, the black, the red and the white raspberry. The shrub bearing this fruit. Technically, raspberries are those brambles in which the fruit separates readily from the core or receptacle, in this differing from the blackberries, in which the fruit is firmly attached to the receptacle. Origin: From E. Rasp, in allusion to the apparent roughness of the fruit. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| raspberry tongue | Strawberry tongue that is a dark red colour. (05 Mar 2000) |