word of the day: rangy

The word of the day is rangy:

Etymology:  Probably partly < range n.¹ + -y suffix¹, and partly < range v.¹ + -y suffix¹. 

1. orig. U.S. 

a. Of an animal: adapted for or capable of ranging; having long limbs and a lean body.

b. Of a person: tall and thin, with long limbs. 

c. Of a plant or tree: tall and spindly with long branches, or a long stem or trunk; (of a branch, etc.) long and thin. 

2. orig. and chiefly Austral. Mountainous, hilly. 

3. Chiefly N. Amer. Of a place: having room for ranging; spacious.

4. Of great scope or compass; expansive, broad, wide-ranging. (OED)

"But Homer's most important efforts, like 'Prisoners', are quiet, singling out persons within uniforms.  Of special note is 'The Bright Side' (1865), in which four black Union teamsters relax outside a tent, from which another pokes his head, clenching a pipe in his teeth and glaring at us.  Here are men of rangy dignity, defying any objectifying gaze."

 - Peter Schjeldahl, "The seething hell: portraying the Civil War", 3 June 2013 The New Yorker


No, I still don't know what he means.  "Wide-ranging"?  But what does that mean when applied to dignity?