R Definition

R¹
r
noun

Rs, R's, r's
1. The eighteenth letter of the English alphabet. See also the three R's.

Info:

In some accents of English, a written r is not pronounced before another consonant or at the end of a word, so that cord is pronounced /kC:d/, and bar /ba:/. In other accents, such as Scottish English, such r's are pronounced. Accents of English can thus be divided between those that are r-pronouncing and those that are non-r-pronouncing.

However, even in non-r-pronouncing accents, an r at the end of a word is pronounced when the word that follows begins with a vowel, so that far away is pronounced /fA:rB'weN/. This is known as a linking r. It is signalled in the dictionary phonetics by (r), eg at radar.

In some accents, however, speakers go further than this and pronounce an r in such cases even where there is no r in the written word, as in the infamous phrase law and order, which then becomes /lC:rBnd'C:dB/. This is known as an intrusive r and, although often condemned, is simply another characteristic of the speech habits of sections of the English-speaking community.

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R²
R.
abbreviation

1. Rand.
2. Réaumur (scale).
3. physics.electronics.
Resistance.
4a. Regina (Latin), Queen;
4b. Rex (Latin), King.
5. River.
6. Röntgen.
7. Rupee.

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r
r.
abbreviation

1. Radius.
2. Right.

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rand¹
noun

rand, rands
1. The standard monetary unit used in South Africa and some neighbouring countries. See also Krugerrand.

Etymology: 1960s, adopted at decimalization: named after Witwatersrand, a large gold-mining area near Johannesburg, and related to rand².