Qabbala
Qabbalistic
Quadriga
Quadrille
Quaestor
Quandang
Quart
Quarter
Queen's prize
Quinine
Quire
Radar
Radian
Radiation
Radioactive
Radioactivity
Radiography
Radiolocation
Radiology
Radium
Rain
Ranch
Rayon
Ream
Recorder
Red
Red dwarf
Red giant
Red-lead
Reefer
Reflex
Reichstag
Relativity
Renaissance
Resin
Rhenium
Rhizome
Rhodium
Rhythm
Ribble-Row
Ribbon
Riboflavin
Rice
Ricin
Rickets
Ricochet
Riddle
Rinderpest
Ringworm
Robe
Rocker
Rocket
Rococo
Romaika
Rontgen
Rontgen Rays
Rood
Root
Rope
Roquelaure
Rosaniline
Rosary
Rose's Metal
Rosein
Rosetta stone
Rosolio
Rounders
Royal Standard
Rubber
Rubefacient
Rugby Football
Rum
Russians
Russophobe
Russophobia
Rust
Ruthenium
Rutherfordium
Ryder Cup
The Qabbala (Cabala, Caballa, Kabbala) is an ancient esoteric tradition of the Jews. It was supposedly given to Moses on mount Sinai in a revelation.
see "Qabbala"
The Quadriga was an ancient Greek and Roman two-wheeled chariot drawn by four horses abreast and used for racing.
The quadrille is a square dance for 4 couples. It was first danced in England in 1815 and superseded in 1850 by the lancers.
A Quaestor was ancient Roman magistrate who was concerned with receiving taxes and tribunes, paying the troops and generally looking-after the money.
Quandang is the edible fruit of a species of the sandalwood tree.
The quart is a unit of capacity measurement equivalent to 2 pints or 1.136 litres.
The quarter is a unit of measurement of the avoirdupois scale equivalent to 28 pounds or 12.7 kilograms. The quarter is a unit of capacity measurement equivalent to 8 bushels or 2.909 hectolitres.
The queen's prize is an English shooting competition.
Quinine is an anti malaria drug derived from the bark of the cinchona tree.
A quire is a measurement of writing paper equal to 24 sheets. 20 quires make 1 ream.
Radar is a system of locating an object or direction finding using high frequency radio waves.
The radian is the SI unit (symbol rad) of plane angles, an alternative unit to the degree. It is the angle at the centre of a circle when the centre is joined to the two ends of an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle. There are 2 pi (approximately 6.284) radians in a full circle (360 degrees). One radian is approximately 57 degrees, and 1 degree is pi/180 or approximately 0.0175 radians. Radians are commonly used to specify angles in polar co-ordinates.
Radiation is the emission of energy rays from an object. In particular the term is applied to the emission of X-rays.
Radioactive elements are those of high atomic weight (radium, thorium, uranium etc.) which spontaneously emit alpha, beta or gamma rays.
Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of an atomic nucleus to produce more stable nucleus and accompanied by the emission of charged particles and possibly also gamma rays.
Radiography is the production of images on a flourescent screen or photographic plate by means of X-rays.
Radiolocation is the original and now old term for Radar.
Radiology is the branch of medical science covering the examination of the body by X-rays, the interpretaion of X-ray photographs and the treatment of disease with X-rays.
Radium is a radioactive gaseous element with the symbol Ra.
Rain is condensed moisture from the atmosphere which falls to the ground in visible separate drops.
A ranch is an establishment maintained for raising livestock under range conditions, that is with wide open pasture.
Rayon is an artificial silk made from cellulose.
The ream is a unit of writing paper measurement equal to 20 quires or 480 sheets of writing paper, 516 sheets of printing paper.
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument.
Red is one of the primary colours. It is the colour of the spectrum which is farthest away from violet. Red pigments are derived from cinnabar, realgar, cochineal and coal-tar.
A red dwarf is a cool, faint star.
A red giant is a cool, bright star.
Red-lead is an oxide of lead used as a red pigment.
A reefer is a refrigerated cargo ship.
A reflex is an automatic response to a stimuli.
The Reichstag was the German parliament building.
Relativity is a theory concerning the nature of space and time propounded by Einstein.
The renaissance was an intellectual period between the 14th and 17th centuries.
Resin is an adhesive and inflammable substance which is insoluble in water secreted by plants and animals.
Rhenium is a metal element with the symbol Re.
In botany, a rhizome is a sort of stem running along the surface of the ground, or partially subterranean, sending forth shoots at its upper end and decaying at the other.
Rhodium is a metal element with the symbol Rh.
Rhythm is the beat behind a piece of music.
Ribble-Row is rambling, meaningless chatter.
A ribbon is a woven narrow band of silk or other material used for adornment.
see "Vitamin B2"
Rice is the seeds of a grass grown in marshes mainly in the orient.
Ricin is a poison extracted from the leaves of the castor oil plant.
Rickets is a defective growth of bone disease caused by a lack of vitamin D.
A ricochet is the rebounding of a projectile.
A riddle is a question designed to test ingenuity or give amusement.
Rinderpest (also called cattle plague) is an infectious disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats, camels, deer and similar animals. It was endemic in central and south Asia during the 1920s and occurred in Western Europe only rarely through the importation of infected cattle, a notable instance occurring in 1872 as a result of the importation of infected cattle from Germany.
Ringworm is a fungus infection of the skin, usually affecting the scalp and characterised by the development of a bald spot which is scaly and has broken hairs on it.
A robe is a long loose outer garment.
A rocker is a curved bar fixed to an item so that it may rock.
A rocket is a cylindrical case which can be projected as a result of the reaction of gases discharged from its rear when its combustible contents are ignited.
Rococo is a style of decoration which originated in France and Italy in the 17th century.
Romaika is a book detailing Roman history from its earliest times to the first century. It was written by Dion Cassius, the Roman historian.
The rontgen is the unit of X-ray or gamma ray radiation.
see "X-Rays"
The rood is a unit of measurement of area equivalent to 1210 square yards.
The root is that part of a plant which is below or in the soil and serves to attach the plant to the soil, and conveys nourishment from the soil to the plant.
Rope is a stout cord in excess of one inch in circumference.
A roquelaure was a man's cloak popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Rosaniline is a base compound of many aniline dyes. It is a basic compound prepared by oxidising a mixture of aniline and toluidine by nitro-benzene in the presence of ferrous chloride. Rosaniline itself is a colourless solid, but if converted into a salt by the addition of an acid, it loses water and becomes coloured.
A rosary is a string of beads used in religion to count prayers.
Rose's metal is a fusible alloy consisting of 50 per cent bismuth, 25 percent lead and 25 per cent tin.
see "Magenta"
The rosetta stone is a tablet bearing an inscription in Greek, and hieroglyphics. It's discovery by Napoleon's soldiers in 1799 made the deciphering of hieroglyphics possible.
Rosolio is an alcoholic beverage from southern Europe.
Rounders is a game played by two teams, with a semicircular ''home'' and three ''posts'' equidistant from each other and from the home. The object of the striker after hitting the ball is to run round the whole or part of the course. He is out if a fielder catches the ball or if he is struck by the ball when running between the posts. The American game of baseball derived from rounders.
The Royal Standard is a flag bearing the royal national arms, flown only by the Sovereign.
Rubber is coagulated latex.
A rubefacient is a counter-irritant which causes heat and redness - such as hot water for example.
Rugby Football started at Rugby school and was established all over Britain by 1870. Originally there was no limit to the number of players on each side, in 1877 the rule of 15 a side was adopted, and the practice of deliberate hacking was abolished.
Rum is an alcoholic beverage distilled from sugar cane.
see "russian"
A russophobe is a person who hates or fears Russians.
Russophobia is the fear or hatred of Russians.
Rust is an iron oxide.
Ruthenium is a metal element with the symbol Ru.
Rutherfordium is an artificial radioactive element with the symbol Rf and with a very short lifespan.
The Ryder Cup is an international golf tournament.