reason
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: human-sciences
logic
mathematics
philosophy
sciences
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.
Inflected forms:
form: reasons
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: reasons
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: reasoning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: reasoned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: reasoned
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A cause:
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted.
There is a reason why so many should be symmetrical: The selective advantage in a symmetrical complex is enjoyed by all the subunits[…]
gloss: A cause:
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: He made reason with his boss about taking a day off.
The reason I robbed the bank was that I needed the money.
If you don't give me a reason to go with you, I won't.
This is the reason why he proposes to offer a libation, to atone for the abuse of the day by their diversions.
Ralph Touchett, for reasons best known to himself, had seen fit to say that Gilbert Osmond was not a good fellow[…]
gloss: A cause:
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: I have forgotten the reason he gave for not travelling by air. I felt sure that it was not the correct reason, and that he suffered from a heart trouble which he kept to himself.
gloss: A cause:
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Mankind should develop reason above all other virtues.
The tremendous tragedy in which he had been involved - it was evident he was a fugitive from Weybridge - had driven him to the very verge of his reason.
And the specific distinction between man and beast is now, strictly speaking, no longer reason (the lumen naturale of the human animal) but science[…]
The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.
gloss: Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: 16th century Edmund Spenser, Lines on his Promised Pension
I was promised, on a time, To have reason for my rhyme.
gloss: Ratio; proportion.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: [I]f two Quantities repreſented by the Numbers 20 and 4 be compared, by dividing the Antecedent 20 by the Conſequent 4, the Quotient is 5; but inverting the Terms, by dividing 4 by 20 the Quotient is #92;tfrac#123;4#125;#123;20#125;#61;#92;tfrac#123;1#125;#123;5#125;. By which Quotients are declared the Geometrical Reaſons of the propoſed Quantities, becauſe if the Quotient found be multiplied by the Conſequent, the Product is equal to the Antecedent; for in the former Compariſon 5#92;times4#61;20, in the latter #92;tfrac#123;1#125;#123;5#125;#92;times20#61;4; as Things again are referred to Equality.
gloss: To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: "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. […]"
gloss: To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: 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.
“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.
gloss: To converse; to compare opinions.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.
pos: verb
tags: ambitransitive
examples: I reasoned the matter with my friend.
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.
gloss: To support with reasons, as a request.
pos: verb
tags: rare
transitive
gloss: To persuade by reasoning or argument.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan
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.
gloss: To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
with-down
examples: to reason down a passion
gloss: To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
usually
examples: to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon
Synonyms: that which causes
Related words: reasonability
reasonable
reasonableness
reasonably
unreasonability
unreasonable
unreasonableness
unreasonably
Derived words: 13th reason
age of reason
antireason
beyond a reason of a doubt
beyond reason of a doubt
by reason of
compassionate reason
counterreason
everything happens for a reason
for no good reason
for one reason or another
for some reason
for XYZ reasons
have reason
in reason
instrumental reason
law of sufficient reason
misreason
nonreason
one will know the reason why
practical reason
principle of insufficient reason
principle of sufficient reason
reasonist
reasonless
reasonous
rhyme nor reason
rhyme or reason
rule of reason
stand to reason
subreason
there is reason in the roasting of eggs
thirteenth reason
thirteenth reason why
transreason
unreason
voice of reason
with good reason
within reason
with reason
reason piece
nonreasoning
outreason
reason down
reasoner
reasoningly
reason out
reason with
unreasoning
Translations:
lang: Aghwan
word: 𐕗𐔰𐕊𐔰𐕙
roman: ṗač̣ar
lang: Albanian
word: arsye
lang: Albanian
word: shkak
lang: Arabic
word: سَبَب
roman: sabab
lang: Arabic
word: سبب
roman: sabab
lang: Arabic
word: سبب
roman: sábab
lang: Armenian
word: պատճառ
roman: patčaṙ
lang: Assamese
word: কাৰণ
roman: karon
lang: Avar
word: сабаб
roman: sabab
lang: Azerbaijani
word: səbəb
lang: Bashkir
word: сәбәп
roman: səbəp
lang: Basque
word: arrazoi
lang: Belarusian
word: прычы́на
roman: pryčýna
lang: Bengali
word: কারণ
roman: karon
lang: Bulgarian
word: причи́на
roman: pričína
lang: Burmese
word: ဟိတ်
roman: hit
lang: Catalan
word: causa
lang: Catalan
word: raó
lang: Catalan
word: motiu
lang: Cebuano
word: rason
lang: Chichewa
word: chifukwa
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 理由
roman: lei⁵ jau⁴
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 原因
roman: jyun⁴ jan¹
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 理由
roman: lǐyóu
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 原因
roman: yuányīn
lang: Crimean Tatar
word: sebep
lang: Czech
word: příčina
lang: Danish
word: årsag
lang: Danish
word: grund
lang: Dutch
word: oorzaak
lang: Dutch
word: reden
lang: Dutch
word: grond
lang: Esperanto
word: kialo
lang: Estonian
word: põhjus
lang: Finnish
word: syy
lang: French
word: raison
lang: French
word: cause
lang: Galician
word: razón
lang: Georgian
word: მიზეზი
roman: mizezi
lang: Georgian
word: საბაბი
roman: sababi
lang: German
word: Grund
lang: German
word: Ursache
lang: Greek
word: λόγος
roman: lógos
lang: Ancient Greek
word: αἰτία
roman: aitía
lang: Hebrew
word: סיבה \ סִבָּה
roman: sibá
lang: Hindi
word: कारण
roman: kāraṇ
lang: Hindi
word: वजह
roman: vajah
lang: Hindi
word: सबब
roman: sabab
lang: Hindi
word: बाइस
roman: bāis
lang: Hungarian
word: ok
lang: Icelandic
word: ástæða
lang: Icelandic
word: orsök
lang: Indonesian
word: alasan
lang: Indonesian
word: sebab
lang: Irish
word: ábhar
lang: Irish
word: fáth
lang: Old Irish
word: accuis
lang: Old Irish
word: adbar
lang: Italian
word: ragione
lang: Italian
word: causa
lang: Italian
word: perché
lang: Japanese
word: 理由
roman: riyū
lang: Japanese
word: 原因
roman: gen'in
lang: Kapampangan
word: sangkan
lang: Kazakh
word: себеп
roman: sebep
lang: Khmer
word: ករណី
roman: kaʼraʼnəy
lang: Khmer
word: ហេតុ
roman: haet
lang: Khmer
word: សាហេតុ
roman: saahaet
lang: Korean
word: 이유
roman: iyu
lang: Korean
word: 리유
roman: riyu
lang: Korean
word: 원인
roman: wonin
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: sedem
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: semed
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: sebeb
lang: Kyrgyz
word: себеп
roman: sebep
lang: Lao
word: ເຫດຜົນ
roman: hēt phon
lang: Lao
word: ສາເຫດ
roman: sā hēt
lang: Latin
word: causa
lang: Latvian
word: cēlonis
lang: Lithuanian
word: priežastis
lang: Macedonian
word: при́чина
roman: príčina
lang: Malay
word: sebab
lang: Malay
word: alasan
lang: Malayalam
word: കാരണം
roman: kāraṇaṁ
lang: Malayalam
word: -കൊണ്ട്
roman: -koṇṭŭ
lang: Eastern Mari
word: амал
roman: amal
lang: Mongolian
word: учир
roman: učir
lang: Mongolian
word: шалтгаан
roman: šaltgaan
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: årsak
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: grunn
lang: Nǀuu
word: ǃʻama
lang: Nǀuu
word: kxʼuki
lang: Occitan
word: rason
lang: Old English
word: intinga
lang: Paicî
word: mäjoro
lang: Pannonian Rusyn
word: причина
roman: pričina
lang: Pashto
word: سبب
roman: sabab
lang: Pashto
word: دليل
roman: dalil
lang: Iranian Persian
word: دَلیل
roman: dalil
lang: Iranian Persian
word: سَبَب
roman: sabab
lang: Polish
word: przyczyna
lang: Portuguese
word: causa
lang: Portuguese
word: motivo
lang: Portuguese
word: razão
lang: Romanian
word: cauză
lang: Romanian
word: pricină
lang: Russian
word: причи́на
roman: pričína
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ра́злог
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: у̀зрок
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: rázlog
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ùzrok
lang: Sikkimese
word: རྐྱེན
roman: rkyen
lang: Silesian
word: prziczyna
lang: Slovak
word: príčina
lang: Slovak
word: dôvod
lang: Slovene
word: vzrok
lang: Slovene
word: razlog
lang: Spanish
word: razón
lang: Spanish
word: causa
lang: Swedish
word: anledning
lang: Swedish
word: skäl
lang: Swedish
word: orsak
lang: Swedish
word: grund
lang: Tagalog
word: rason
lang: Tajik
word: сабаб
roman: sabab
lang: Tajik
word: далел
roman: dalel
lang: Tamil
word: காரணம்
roman: kāraṇam
lang: Tatar
word: сәбәп
roman: säbäp
lang: Thai
word: เหตุผล
roman: hèet-pǒn
lang: Thai
word: สาเหตุ
roman: sǎa-hèet
lang: Thai
word: เหตุ
roman: hèet
lang: Turkish
word: neden
lang: Turkish
word: sebep
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: سبب
roman: sebeb
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: علت
roman: ʼillet
lang: Turkmen
word: sebäp
lang: Ukrainian
word: причи́на
roman: pryčýna
lang: Urdu
word: وَجَہ
roman: vaja
lang: Urdu
word: وَجَہْ
roman: vajah
lang: Urdu
word: سَبَب
roman: sabab
lang: Urdu
word: باعِث
roman: bā'is
lang: Uyghur
word: سەۋەب
roman: seweb
lang: Uzbek
word: sabab
lang: Venetan
word: rexon
lang: Vietnamese
word: lý do
lang: Vietnamese
word: nguyên nhân