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(), n.See Roc. Rock n.[OE. rocke; akin to D. rok, rokken, G. rocken, OHG. roccho, Dan. rok, Icel. rokkr. Cf. Rocket a firework.] A distaff used in spinning; the staff or frame about which flax is arranged, and from which the thread is drawn in spinning. Chapman. Sad Clotho held the rocke, the whiles the thread By grisly Lachesis was spun with pain, That cruel Atropos eftsoon undid. Spenser. Rock n.[OF. roke, F. roche; cf. Armor. roc'h, and AS. rocc.] 1. A large concreted mass of stony material; a large fixed stone or crag. See Stone. Come one, come all! this rock shall fly From its firm base as soon as I. Sir W. Scott. 2. (Geol.) Any natural deposit forming a part of the earth's crust, whether consolidated or not, including sand, earth, clay, etc., when in natural beds. 3. That which resembles a rock in firmness; a defense; a support; a refuge. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress. 2 Sam. xxii. 2. 4. Fig.: Anything which causes a disaster or wreck resembling the wreck of a vessel upon a rock. 5. (Zol.) The striped bass. See under Bass. This word is frequently used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, rock-bound, rock-built, rock-ribbed, rock-roofed, and the like. Rock alum. [Probably so called by confusion with F. roche a rock.] Same as Roche alum. Rock barnacle (Zol.), a barnacle (Balanus balanoides) very abundant on rocks washed by tides. Rock bas Rock (), v. t.[imp. & p. p.Rocked ();p. pr. & vb. n.Rocking.] [AS. roccian; akin to Dan. rokke to move, to snake; cf. Icel. rukkja to pull, move, G. rcken to move, push, pull.] 1. To cause to sway backward and forward, as a body resting on a support beneath; as, to rock a cradle or chair; to cause to vibrate; to cause to reel or totter. A rising earthquake rocked the ground. Dryden. 2. To move as in a cradle; hence, to put to sleep by rocking; to still; to quiet. "Sleep rock thy brain." Shak. Rock differs from shake, as denoting a slower, less violent, and more uniform motion, or larger movements. It differs from swing, which expresses a vibratory motion of something suspended. Rock v. i. 1. To move or be moved backward and forward; to be violently agitated; to reel; to totter. The rocking town Supplants their footsteps. J. Philips. 2. To roll or saway backward and forward upon a support; as, to rock in a rocking-chair. スポンサード リンク
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