rake
A garden tool with teeth used to gather leaves or soil.
The word rake has two main meanings:
- A garden tool with a long handle and a row of teeth or tines at one end, used to gather leaves, smooth soil, or collect grass clippings. When you rake leaves in autumn, you pull the tool across the ground so the tines catch and pile up the fallen leaves. Rakes come in different styles: some have flexible metal tines for leaves, while others have sturdy teeth for breaking up soil in a garden bed.
- An old-fashioned term for a wealthy, charming man who behaves badly, especially someone who wastes money on gambling and parties while ignoring his responsibilities. In classic literature, a rake might be the careless nobleman who gambles away his fortune or breaks hearts. The term comes from an even older word, “rakehell,” meaning a recklessly immoral person. You'll encounter this meaning mostly in historical novels or period dramas, where a reformed rake becomes a better person by the story's end.