The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Runt \Runt\, n. [Written also rant.] [Scot. runt an old cow,
   an old, withered woman, a hardened stem or stalk, the trunk
   of a tree; cf. D. rund a bullock, an ox or cow, G. rind. Cf.
   Rother, a.]
   1. (Zool.) Any animal which is unusually small, as compared
      with others of its kind; -- applied particularly to
      domestic animals.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Zool.) A variety of domestic pigeon, related to the barb
      and carrier.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A dwarf; also, a mean, despicable, boorish person; -- used
      opprobriously.
      [1913 Webster]

            Before I buy a bargain of such runts,
            I'll buy a college for bears, and live among 'em.
                                                  --Beau. & Fl.
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   4. The dead stump of a tree; also, the stem of a plant. [Obs.
      or Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
      [1913 Webster]

            Neither young poles nor old runts are durable.
                                                  --Holland.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rant \Rant\ (r[a^]nt), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ranted; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Ranting.] [OD. ranten, randen, to dote, to be
   enraged.]
   To rave in violent, high-sounding, or extravagant language,
   without dignity of thought; to be noisy, boisterous, and
   bombastic in talk or declamation; as, a ranting preacher.
   [1913 Webster]

         Look where my ranting host of the Garter comes! --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rant \Rant\, n.
   High-sounding language, without importance or dignity of
   thought; boisterous, empty declamation; bombast; as, the rant
   of fanatics.
   [1913 Webster]

         This is a stoical rant, without any foundation in the
         nature of man or reason of things.       --Atterbury.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

rant
    n 1: a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
         [syn: harangue, rant, ranting]
    2: pompous or pretentious talk or writing [syn: bombast,
       fustian, rant, claptrap, blah]
    v 1: talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner [syn:
         rant, mouth off, jabber, spout, rabbit on,
         rave]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

226 Moby Thesaurus words for "rant":
   absurdity, act, amphigory, assault, attack, babble, babblement,
   balderdash, barbarize, batter, bawl out, be angry, be excitable,
   be insane, be livid, be pissed, bellow, berate, bibble-babble,
   blabber, blather, blow a gasket, blow up, bluff, bluster,
   bluster and bluff, blustering, boastfulness, boil, bombast,
   bombastry, bounce, brag, bravado, browned off, brutalize, bully,
   bullying, burn, bustle, butcher, carry on, catch fire,
   catch the infection, chafe, claptrap, come apart, debate, declaim,
   demagogue, destroy, dote, double-talk, drivel, drool, elocute,
   excite easily, expatiate, explode, expound, fanfaronade,
   fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, fire up, flame up, flare up, flash up,
   flatulence, flip, flummery, flurry, fluster, folderol, fret, fudge,
   fume, fuss, fustian, gabble, galimatias, gammon, gasconade,
   get excited, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, go into hysterics,
   go on, gobbledygook, grimace, ham, ham it up, hammer, harangue,
   have a conniption, have a demon, have a tantrum, hector, hectoring,
   highfalutin, histrionics, hit the ceiling, hocus-pocus, hold forth,
   hot air, huff, humbug, intimidate, intimidation, jabber, jargon,
   jaw, lash, lay waste, lecture, lexiphanicism, loot, maul, mouth,
   mug, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, niaiserie, nonsense, orate,
   out-herod Herod, overact, overdramatize, pack of nonsense, palaver,
   perorate, philippic, pillage, pissed off, pomposity, pontificate,
   prate, prattle, preach, rabble-rouse, rag, rage, rail, raise Cain,
   raise hell, raise the devil, raise the roof, ramble, ramp, rampage,
   rant and rave, rape, rate, rave, read, ream out, recite, rhapsody,
   rhetoric, rigamarole, rigmarole, riot, roar, rodomontade, roister,
   rollick, rubbish, ruin, run a temperature, run amok, run mad, sack,
   savage, seethe, side, simmer, sizzle, skimble-skamble, slang,
   slaughter, slaver, slobber, smoke, smolder, soapbox, sow chaos,
   speak, spiel, splutter, spout, sputter, stew, storm,
   stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, swagger, swashbuckle,
   swashbucklery, take fire, take on, tear, tear around, terrorize,
   theatrics, throw a fit, throw away, tirade, trash, trumpery,
   trumpet, tub-thump, turgidity, turn a hair, twaddle, twattle,
   twiddle-twaddle, underact, vandalize, vapor, vaporing, violate,
   vituperate, vociferate, waffling, wander, wreck