Rase

Rase is a verb that appears in older forms of English as a variant spelling of erase. In historical texts, rase carried the same meaning as to rub out, obliterate, or remove writing, marks, or outlines. Today, the modern standard form is erase, and rase is primarily encountered in studies of philology, historical dictionaries, or in discussions about old orthography.

Etymology and usage history are tied to the Latin and French roots for shaving or rubbing off. The sense of erasing marks likely derives from a lineage that includes Old French raser or related forms, with the English spelling variant rase persisting in earlier centuries before erase became dominant. In modern practice, rase is regarded as archaic or literary rather than a routine term.

Rase is sometimes mentioned to illustrate historical spelling conventions or to show how English orthography has evolved. It is easy to confuse with raze, a separate verb meaning to demolish or level a building. While raze is commonly used in contemporary English, rase survives mainly in scholarly contexts as an historical spelling variant of erase rather than as an active, widely used term.

In summary, rase is the archaic or historical spelling of erase, used in past English writings to mean removing text or marks. In contemporary usage, erase is preferred, and rase is most often noted in linguistic or philological discussions to reflect orthographic variation.