range
UK[reɪndʒ]US[reɪndʒ]
n
A number of different things of the same general type; a variety.
n
The area or limits within which something can operate, be effective, or travel.
n
A line or series of mountains or hills.
n
A large open area for grazing or hunting.
n
A large cooking stove with an oven and burners on top.
v
To vary or extend between specified limits.
v
To place or arrange things in a row or in a particular order.
v
To travel or wander over a wide area.
Etymology
The word 'range' entered English in the late 13th century from the Old French 'rengier' or 'rangier', meaning 'to arrange in a row, to place in order'. This French term itself evolved from the noun 'reng' or 'rang', meaning 'row, line, rank', which has Germanic origins, likely from Frankish hring (circle, ring). The core concept of a line or row is the semantic anchor. From this literal sense of orderly arrangement, the meaning expanded metaphorically: a row of mountains became a 'mountain range', the area over which something can travel in a line became its 'range', and the idea of ordering things led to the sense of a varied series or 'range' of items. The cooking stove sense developed in the 15th century from the arrangement of multiple fireplaces or burners in a single structure.
Analysis
The modern English word 'range' is a simplex form derived from a single, tightly fused Old French root. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into distinct, current-spelling morphemes in English.
Examples
The store offers a wide range of organic vegetables.
The missile has a range of over 500 kilometers.
Cattle grazed freely across the open range.