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ral·ly²

(rălē)

v. ral·lied, ral·ly·ing, ral·lies

v.tr.

To tease good-humoredly: "She rallied him upon his battered scalp and his creaking back" (Upton Sinclair).

v.intr.

To engage in good-humored teasing or jesting.

[French railler, from Old French, to tease; see RAIL³.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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