reason
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹiːzn̩/
ipa: [ˈɹiːzn̩]
ipa: [ˈɹɪjzn̩]
ipa: [ˈɹɪjzən]
ipa: [ˈɹi(ː)z(ə)n]
ipa: [ˈɹiːz(ə)n]
rhymes: -iːzən
Forms: form: reasons
form: reasoning
form: reasoned
form: reasoned
Etymology: From Middle English resoun, reson, from Anglo-Norman raisun (Old French raison), from Latin ratiō, from ratus, past participle of reor (“reckon”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂reh₁- (“to think”), reanalysed root of *h₂er- (“to put together”). Displaced native Middle English reden (found in compounds), from Old English rǣden (“condition, stipulation, calculation, direction”), from the same Proto-Indo-European source (compare West Frisian reden (“reason”), Dutch reden (“reason”)). Doublet of ration and ratio.
Senses: examples: text: "I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data. […]"
ref: 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band:
glosses: To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational.
examples: text: Still my spirit was not broken. I indulged the anticipation of escape, and that speedily. It was impossible, I reasoned, that men could be so unjust as to detain me as a slave, when the truth of my case was known.
ref: 1853, Solomon Northup, chapter III, in [David Wilson], editor, Twelve Years a Slave. […], London: Sampson Low, Son & Co.; Auburn, N.Y.: Derby and Miller, →OCLC, page 47:
text: “All right, Dad – I did follow you. But only because I was worried about you.”
“Worried about me? I was worried about you! Hanging on to the roof of a speeding car! Are you nuts?”
“It wasn’t moving when I climbed on to it,” reasoned the boy.
ref: 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
glosses: To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
glosses: To converse; to compare opinions.
examples: text: I reasoned the matter with my friend.
text: The talk was mainly between Aleck and Murdie, the others crowding eagerly about and putting in a word as they could. Murdie was reasoning good-humoredly, Aleck replying fiercely.
ref: 1901, Ralph Connor, chapter 9, in The Man from Glengarry:
glosses: To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.
glosses: To support with reasons, as a request.
examples: text: to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan
text: That she was not immediately ready, Emma did suspect to arise from the state of her nerves; she had not yet possessed the instrument long enough to touch it without emotion; she must reason herself into the power of performance; and Emma could not but pity such feelings, whatever their origin, and could not but resolve never to expose them to her neighbour again.
ref: 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 10, in Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:
glosses: To persuade by reasoning or argument.
examples: to reason down a passion
glosses: To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.
examples: to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon
glosses: To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.
raw_tags: with out
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from the verb “reason”
word: reason down
sense: Terms derived from the verb “reason”
word: reasoner
sense: Terms derived from the verb “reason”
word: reason out
sense: Terms derived from the verb “reason”
word: reason with