noun
rance
rans
noun
1
A reddish Belgian marble often streaked with white or blue veining, used in decorative stonework.
"The fireplace surround was carved from polished rance, its red surface shot through with pale veins."
2
A wooden prop, brace, or spreader bar, such as the crossbar fitted between the legs of a chair for extra support.
"A loose rance under the old chair meant it wobbled every time someone sat down."
verb
1
To prop, brace, or shore something up.
"They ranced the sagging fence post with a length of scrap timber."
How to Use Rance
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA fairly obscure word — either a decorative red marble, or a brace/prop between chair legs (and the verb meaning to prop something up).
Word Forms
ranced past tense, rances plural, Rances plural, rances singular
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The fireplace surround was carved from polished _____, its red surface shot through with pale veins.
Etymology
From Old French ranche, tracing back to Latin ramex/ramus ("branch"), the same idea of a supporting limb behind the English word "ramus."