register: Meaning and Definition of

reg•is•ter

Pronunciation: (rej'u-stur), [key]
— n.
  1. a book in which records of acts, events, names, etc., are kept.
  2. a list or record of such acts, events, etc.
  3. an entry in such a book, record, or list.
  4. an official document issued to a merchant ship as evidence of its nationality.
  5. registration or registry.
  6. a mechanical device by which certain data are automatically recorded.
  7. See
  8. the head register; the upper register of the clarinet.
    1. the compass or range of a voice or an instrument.
    2. a part of this range produced in the same way and having the same quality:the head register; the upper register of the clarinet.
    3. (in an organ) a stop.
  9. a device for controlling the flow of warmed air or the like through an opening, as from a duct to an interior, composed of a number of narrow, parallel blades, usually behind a grating, that may be adjusted so as to overlap and close the opening.
  10. proper relationship between two plane surfaces in photography, as corresponding plates in photoengraving.
    1. a precise adjustment or correspondence, as of lines, columns, etc., esp. on the two sides of a leaf.
    2. correct relation or exact superimposition, as of colors in color printing.
  11. a bookmark, esp. a ribbon attached to the spine of a book.
  12. a variety of language typically used in a specific type of communicative setting: an informal register; the register of scientific discourse.
  13. a high-speed storage location in the CPU, used to store a related string of bits, as a word or phrase.
—v.t.
  1. to enter or cause to be entered formally in a register.
  2. to cause (mail) to be recorded upon delivery to a post office for safeguarding against loss, theft, damage, etc., during transmission.
  3. to enroll (a student, voter, etc.) in a school or course of study, on the voting rolls, etc.
  4. to indicate by a record, as instruments do: The thermometer registered 102 degrees today.
  5. to indicate or show, as on a scale.
  6. to adjust so as to secure exact correspondence; cause to be in register.
  7. to adjust (fire) on a known point.
  8. to show (surprise, joy, anger, etc.), as by facial expression or by actions.
  9. to document (a merchant ship engaged in foreign trade) by issuing a certificate of registry.
—v.i.
  1. to enter one's name or cause it to be entered in a register; enroll: to register at a motel.
  2. to apply for and obtain inclusion of one's name on the list of voters.
  3. to enroll in a school or course of study: I've registered for three English classes.
  4. to be in register.
  5. to show: A broad smile registered on his face.
  6. to have some effect; make some impression: My plea didn't register on him at all.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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