Mid·way Islands ( m¹d"w³") 1. Two small islands and a surrounding coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean northwest of Honolulu. Discovered in 1859, they were annexed by the United States in 1867 and remain a U.S. territory with an important naval base. A decisive World War II Allied victory in the Battle of Midway (June 3-6, 1942) was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific.

La·val ( l…-v²l", lä-väl ") 1. A city of southern Quebec, Canada, on an island opposite Montreal, of which it is a residential suburb. Population, 268,335. 2. A town of northwest France east of Rennes. Founded in the 9th century, it has been noted for its linen products since the 14th century. Population, 50,360.

Laval , Pierre . 1883-1945 1. French politician who twice served as prime minister (1931-1932 and 1935-1936) and became head of the Vichy government (1942) after the surrender of France. He was executed for treason for his collaboration with the Nazis.

na·val ( n³"v…l) adj. Abbr. nav. 1. Of or relating to ships or shipping. See note at nautical . 2. Of or relating to a navy. 3. Having a navy: a great naval power. [Middle English from Old French from Latin n³v³lis from n³vis ship; See n ³u- in Indo-European Roots.]

n ³u-. Important derivatives are: naval navigate navy nausea nautical nautilus noise astronaut Boat. I. Contracted from *na …u-. 1. NACELLE , NAVAL , NAVE 1 , NAVICULAR , NAVIGATE , ( NAVY ), from Latin n ³vis, ship. 2. NAUSEA , NAUTICAL , NAUTILUS , ( NOISE ); AERONAUT , AQUANAUT , ARGONAUT , ASTRONAUT , COSMONAUT , from Greek naus , ship, and naut ¶s, sailor. [ Pokorny 1. n ³u- 755. ]

ni·val ( nº"v…l) adj. 1. Of, relating to, or growing in or under snow: nival species of plants. [Latin niv³lis from nix niv-snow]

ri·val ( rº"v…l) n. 1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor. 2. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect. 3. Obsolete A companion or an associate in a particular duty. n. attributive. 1. Often used to modify another noun: rival companies; rival products; rival teams; rival schools. v. ri·valed or ri·valled ri·val·ing or ri·val·ling ri·vals or ri·vals v. tr. 1. To attempt to equal or surpass. 2. To be the equal of; match: " They achieved more than they had ever dreamed, lending a magic to their family story that no tale or ordinary life could possibly rival " Doris Kearns Goodwin v. intr. 1. To be a competitor or rival; compete. [Latin rºv³lis a rival, one using the same stream as another from rºvus stream; See rei- in Indo-European Roots.]

Synonyms: rival compete vie emulate These verbs mean to seek to equal or surpass another. Rival is the most general: " His ambition led him to rival the career of Edmund Burke " (Henry Adams). To compete is to contend with another or others to attain a goal, as gaining an advantage, victory in a contest, or a prize: Local hardware stores can't compete with discount outlets. " She must learn to compete . . . not as a woman, but as a human being " (Betty Friedan). Vie, often interchangeable with compete, sometimes stresses the challenge implicit in rivalry: " No mortal could vie with Zeus " (Homer). Emulate connotes imitation in an effort to match or outdo another: " The whole world emulates Athens and Rome " (David Hume).

rei- . Important derivatives are: run rill rival rivulet derive To flow, run. I. 1. Suffixed zero-grade form *ri-nu- . a. RUN , RUNNEL , from Old English rinnan , to run, and Old Norse rinna , to run (from Germanic *rinnan , to run, from *ri-nw-an ), and from Old English causative ærnan , eornan , to run (from secondary Germanic causative *rannjan ); b. EMBER DAY , from Old English ryne , a running, from secondary Germanic derivative *runiz ; c. RENNET , from Old English *rynet , from secondary Germanic derivative *runita- . 2. Suffixed zero-grade form *ri-l- . RILL , from Dutch ril or Low German rille , running stream, from Germanic *ril- . 3. Suffixed form *rei-wo- . RIVAL , RIVULET ; DERIVE , from Latin r ºvus, stream. [ Pokorny 3. er- 326. ]