As a noun, range can mean the distance between two limits, a set of similar things, or an area where something lives or operates. As a verb, it means to vary between limits or to move over a wide area.
It comes from Old French “range,” meaning “row, rank,” from “rangier,” meaning “to arrange in a line,” related to “rank.” The sense of distance or spread developed from things laid out in order and then extended over space.
“Range” can describe a math set, an animal’s territory, a mountain chain, or even a kitchen stove, all built on the idea of things laid out across space or possibility. When you “let your mind range,” you’re mentally wandering across an invisible landscape of ideas.
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