| Raffle | n. [ F. rafle; faire rafle to sweep stakes, fr. rafler to carry or sweep away, rafler tout to sweep stakes; of German origin; cf. G. raffeln to snatch up, to rake. See Raff, v. ] 1. A kind of lottery, in which several persons pay, in shares, the value of something put up as a stake, and then determine by chance (as by casting dice) which one of them shall become the sole possessor. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A game of dice in which he who threw three alike won all the stakes. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Rafflesia | ‖n. [ NL. Named from its discoverer, Sir S. Raffles. ] (Bot.) A genus of stemless, leafless plants, living parasitically upon the roots and stems of grapevines in Malaysia. The flowers have a carrionlike odor, and are very large, in one species (Rafflesia Arnoldi) having a diameter of two or three feet. [ 1913 Webster ] |