{
    "term": "ray",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a narrow line of light, heat or other energy",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The last of the sun's rays shone on the grass."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Ultraviolet rays damage the skin."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The windows were shining in the reflected rays of the setting sun."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A ray of sunlight fell on the table."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her brooch caught the rays of the setting sun."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The moon cast pale rays of light on the ground."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They basked in sun's warm golden rays."
                },
                {
                    "text": "When the sun's rays hit the earth, a lot of heat is reflected back into space."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a blinding ray of light"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a stream sparkling in the rays of the June sun"
                },
                {
                    "text": "creams which filter out the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the dying rays of a winter sun"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the moon's rays filtering through the trees"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Space", "Physics and chemistry"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["powerful", "blinding", "bright"],
                "verb + ray": ["emit", "give off", "send out"],
                "ray + verb": [
                    "filter through something",
                    "pass through something",
                    "penetrate something"
                ],
                "preposition": ["in the rays of"],
                "phrases": ["a ray of light", "a ray of sunlight", "a ray of sunshine"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a small amount of something good or of something that you are hoping for",
            "sensetop": "ray of something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There was just one small **ray of hope**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The one ray of light in this whole affair is that justice has been done."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "glimmer"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a sea fish with a large broad flat body and a long tail, that is used for food",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Fish and shellfish"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "the second note of a major scale",
            "labels": "(music)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to sit or lie in the sun, especially in order to get a suntan",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person or thing that makes life brighter or more cheerful",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "My nephew is a little ray of sunshine."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/reɪ/",
                "audio": "ra/ray/ray__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/reɪz/",
                "audio": "ra/ray/raze__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/reɪ/",
                "audio": "ra/ray/ray__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/reɪz/",
                "audio": "ra/ray/raze__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "senses 1 to 2 Middle English: from Old French rai, based on Latin radius ‘spoke, ray’.sense 3 Middle English: from Old French raie, from Latin raia.sense 4 Middle English re, representing (as an arbitrary name for the note) the first syllable of resonare, taken from a Latin hymn."
}