nounWord forms: plural -ri (-raɪ)1. Also called: tore a large convex moulding approximately semicircular in cross section, esp one used on the base of a classical column
2. geometry a ring-shaped surface generated by rotating a circle about a coplanar line that does not intersect the circle. Area: 4π2Rr; volume: 2π2Rr2, where r is the radius of the circle and R is the distance from the line to the centre of the circle
3. botany another name for receptacle (sense 2)
4. anatomy a ridge, fold, or similar linear elevation
5. astronomy a dense ring of gas and dust which surrounds a dying star, containing most of the star's ejected gas
Word origin
C16: from Latin: a swelling, of obscure origin