Reye's syndrome
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Reye's syn·drome /'raɪz ˌsɪndrəʊm, 'reɪz-/ n [U] a rare
and dangerous illness that usually only affects children, and
often after they have taken ASPIRIN to treat an illness. For this
reason doctors now suggest that children under 12 years old
should not be given aspirin.
Rey·kja·vík /'reɪkjəvɪk/ the capital city and main port of
Iceland, which is the centre of the country's fishing industry
Rey·nard the Fox /'renɑːrd ðə 'fɒks, ˌreɪ-l-ɑːrd ðə 'fɑːks/
a FOX in old European stories, who often behaves badly but
always escapes punishment by his cleverness
Rey·nolds, Burt /'renəldz, bɜːrt l bɜːrt/ (1936-) a US film
actor known for appearing in ACTION films (=exciting films
containing lots of fighting) and humorous films, such as
Smokey and the Bandit (1977). He also appeared in Deliverance
(1972) and Boogie Nights (1997).
Reynolds, R. J. a large US company that makes cigarettes
Reynolds, Sir Joshua (1723-92) a British painter who
became the first president of the ROYAL ACADEMY and who is
known especially for his PORTRAITS (=paintings of people)
RFD /ˌɑːr ef 'diː/ n [U] AmE abbrev. for rural free delivery; used
for postal addresses outside towns: Our address is RFD3,
Mayberry, Arkansas.
rhap·so·dize also -dise BrE /'ræpsədaɪz/ v [I (about, over)] to
express eager and excited approval: Mother rhapsodized
about/over your beautiful kitchen.
rhap·so·dy /'ræpsədi/ n 1 [(about, over)] an expression of
eager and excited approval: They all went into (=expressed)
rhapsodies over the beauty of the scenery. 2 a dreamy piece
of music written as if made up as one plays it, not in any
regular form —dic /ræp'sɒdɪk||-'sɑː-/ adj: a rhapsodic pas-
sage in the slow movement of the symphony
rhea /'riːə, 'riːə/ n a large South American bird like the OSTRICH
but smaller
rheo·stat /'riːəstæt/ n an instrument that controls the loud-
ness of radio sound or the brightness of electric light, by
limiting the flow of electric current
rhe·sus /'riːsəs/ also 'rhesus ,monkey n a small short-
tailed pale brown North Indian monkey, often used in
scientific tests
'Rhesus ,factor n [S] tech a substance whose presence
(RHESUS POSITIVE) or absence (RHESUS NEGATIVE) in the red
blood cells may have dangerous effects for some babies or
when a person receives blood from another person
rhet·o·ric /'retərɪk/ n [U] 1 the art of speaking or writing in
a way that is likely to persuade or influence people 2 the
language used, especially by politicians, in doing this:
Despite their tough anti-American rhetoric, the government is
privately trying to maintain good relations with the
US. 3 derog speech or writing that sounds fine and impor-
tant, but is really insincere or without meaning
rhe·tor·i·cal /rɪ'tɒrɪkəl||-'tɔːr-, -'tɑː-/ adj 1 (of a question)
asked only to gain an effect, and not expecting any answer:
a rhetorical question such as 'Who knows how long the war
will last?' 2 of, connected with, or showing rhetoric: The
speaker showed great rhetorical skill. —ly /kli/ adv: I was
only asking rhetorically; I didn't really expect an answer.
rhet·o·ri·cian /ˌretə'rɪʃən/ n fml a person trained and skilled
in RHETORIC
rheu·mat·ic /ruː'mætɪk/ adj 1 of or connected with RHEU-
MATISM: a rheumatic condition of the joints 2 suffering from
rheumatism: a rheumatic old woman who can't walk very fast
→ see also RHEUMATICS
rheu·matic 'fever n [U] a serious infectious disease, espe-
cially in children, with fever, swelling of the joints, and
possible damage to the heart
rheu·mat·ick·y /ruː'mætɪki/ adj infml for RHEUMATIC
rheu·mat·ics /ruː'mætɪks/ n [P] infml, especially BrE rheuma-
tism
rheu·ma·tis·m /'ruːmətzəm/ n [U] a disease causing pain
and stiffness in the joints or muscles of the body
rheu·ma·toid /'ruːmətɔɪd/ adj tech of rheumatism or a long-
continuing disease (rheumatoid arthritis) causing pain and
stiffness in the joints of the legs and arms and often making
them lose their proper shape
Rh fac·tor /ˌɑːr 'eɪtʃ ˌfæktər/ n written abbrev. for RHESUS
FACTOR
Rhine, the /raɪn/ an important river in western Europe
which goes from Switzerland up to the Netherlands and into
the North Sea, and is used for carrying goods by boat. The
Middle Rhine area, in Germany, is known for its castles and
wine-making industry.
rhine·stone /'raɪnstəʊn/ n [C;U] a shining colourless jewel
made from glass or a transparent rock and intended to look
like a diamond
,Rhine 'wine n [C;U] any of several white wines produced in
the Rhine valley
rhi·no·cer·os
/raɪ'nɒsərəs||-'nɑːr-/ also
rhi·no /'raɪnə/ infml — n
pl. rhinoceros or rhinocer-
oses a large, heavy, thick-
skinned animal of Africa or
Asia, with either one or two
horns on its head
rhi·no·plas·ty
/'raɪnəʊˌplæsti/ n [U] med
plastic SURGERY of the nose,
performed to improve the
shape of a person's nose,
usually for reasons of appearance rather than any medical
reason → see also NOSE JOB —plastic adj
rhi·zome /'raɪzəʊm/ n tech the thick stem of some plants
such as the IRIS, which lies flat along the ground with roots
and leaves growing from it
Rhode Is·land /'rəʊd ˌaɪlənd||'roʊd 'aɪlənd/ written abbrev. RI
the smallest of the US states, in New England in the
northeastern US. It was one of the 13 original states of the
US, and its capital and largest city is Providence.
,Rhode Island 'Red /ˌl- ˌ-/ n a type of chicken, originally
from the US, which has dark red-brown feathers
Rhodes /rəʊdz/ a large Greek island near the coast of Turkey.
In ancient times Rhodes was famous because of the COLOS-
SUS OF RHODES, and now it is a popular place for tourists.
Rhodes, Ce·cil /'sesɪl/ (1853-1902) a South African politi-
cian, born in the UK, who was Prime Minister of Cape
Colony (1890-96) and is famous for his IMPERIALISM (=the
policy by which rich and powerful countries gain political
and economic control over poorer countries). He also made a
lot of money from DIAMOND mines, and he used some of this
to set up the RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS.
Rhodes, Gar·y /'gæri/ (1960-) a well-known British CHEF
and restaurant owner who is known for having SPIKY hair.
He often appears on television and has his own programme.
He has also written many successful books.
Rhodes, Zan·dra /'zændrə/ (1940-) a British fashion
DESIGNER, known for the unusual dresses she designs, using
light expensive materials such as silk. She is also known for
having pink hair.
Rho·de·si·a /rəʊ'diːʃə||-ʒə/ a former name for ZIMBABWE.
During the period of British rule, Zimbabwe was known as
Southern Rhodesia and Zambia was known as Northern
Rhodesia. —Rhodesian n, adj
,Rhodes 'Scholarship n a sum of money given to some
students from the US, the British COMMONWEALTH, and Ger-
many to allow them to study at Oxford University. The
money for these scholarships was originally provided by Cecil
RHODES. A student receiving one of these scholarships is
called a Rhodes Scholar, and the US president Bill Clinton was
a Rhodes Scholar in the late 1960s.
rho·do·den·dron /ˌrəʊdə'dendrən/ n a large bush which
has large bright flowers and which keeps its leaves in winter
rhom·boid¹ /'rɒmbɔɪd||'rɑːm-/ n tech (in GEOMETRY) a four-
sided shape whose opposite sides are equal; PARALLELOGRAM
rhomboid² also rhom·boid·al /rɒm'bɔɪdl||rɑːm-/ adj [
comp.] tech in the shape of a rhombus
rhom·bus /'rɒmbəs||'rɑːm-/ n tech (in GEOMETRY) a shape
with four equal straight sides, especially one that is not square
Rhon·dda, the /'rɒndə||'rɑː-/ also the ,Rhondda 'Val-
ley an area in South Wales, UK. The Rhondda was tradition-
ally an important COAL-MINING (=getting coal out of the ground) area