rack
UK[ræk]US[ræk]
n
A framework, typically with rails, bars, hooks, or pegs, for holding or storing things.
n
A cogged or toothed bar or rail engaging with a wheel or pinion, or using pegs to adjust the position of something.
v
To cause extreme physical or mental pain to; to torture.
v
To place (something) in or on a rack.
Etymology
The word 'rack' entered English in the 14th century from Middle Dutch, referring to a framework for stretching cloth or for holding animal fodder. This sense of a stretching frame is the direct source for the torture device known as the rack, which literally stretched the victim's body. Over time, the meaning broadened to include any framework for holding or displaying items, while the verb form absorbed the associated notions of strain and torment, leading to modern usages like 'rack one's brains' or 'nerve-racking'.
Analysis
The word 'rack' is a simplex form. Its origin is traced back to Middle Dutch 'rec' and Middle Low German 'rek', meaning 'framework' or 'stretch'. It is related to the verb 'reckon' in the sense of stretching or extending.
Examples
She placed the freshly washed dishes on the drying rack.
The old library had racks of newspapers bound in leather.
He was racked with guilt over his mistake.