Main Entry:

²rank

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French renc, reng, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hring ring — more at ring

Date:

14th century

1 a: row, series b: a row of people c (1): a line of soldiers ranged side by side in close order (2)plural : armed forces (3)plural : the body of enlisted personnel d: any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard perpendicular to the files eBritish : stand 62 a: relative standing or position b: a degree or position of dignity, eminence, or excellence : distinction <soon took rank as a leading attorney — J. D. Hicks> c: high social position <the privileges of rank> d: a grade of official standing in a hierarchy3: an orderly arrangement : formation4: an aggregate of individuals classed together —usually used in plural5: the order according to some statistical characteristic (as the score on a test)6: any of a series of classes of coal based on increasing alteration of the parent vegetable matter, increasing carbon content, and increasing fuel value7: the number of linearly independent rows or columns in a matrix