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Reason definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REASON, n. re'zn. [L. ratio, which is from ratus, and which proves reor to be contracted from redo, redor, and all unite with rod, L. radius, etc. Gr. to say or speak, whence rhetoric. See Read.]
1. That which is thought or which is alleged in words, as the ground or cause of opinion, conclusion or determination. I have reasons which I may choose not to disclose. You ask me my reasons. I freely give my reasons. The judge assigns good reasons for his opinion, reasons which justify his decision. Hence in general,
2. The cause, ground, principle or motive of any thing said or done; that which supports or justifies a determination, plan or measure.
Virtue and vice are not arbitrary things; but there is a natural and eternal reason for that goodness and virtue, and against vice and wickedness. 1 Peter 3.
3. Efficient cause. He is detained by reason of sickness.
Spain in thin sown of people, partly by reason of its sterility of soil
The reason of the motion of the balance in a wheel-watch is by motion of the next wheel.
4. Final cause.
Reason, in the English language, is sometimes taken for true and clear principles; sometimes for clear and fair deductions; sometimes for the cause, particularly the final cause.
5. A faculty of the mind by which it distinguishes truth from falsehood, and good from evil, and which enables the possessor to deduce inferences from facts or from propositions.
Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul, reason's comparing balance rules the whole - That sees immediate good by present sense, reason the future and the consequence.
Reason is the director of man's will.
6. Ratiocination; the exercise of reason.
But when by reason she the truth has found -
7. Right; justice; that which is dictated or supported by reason. Every man claims to have reason on his side.
I was promised on a time to have reason for my rhyme.
8. Reasonable claim; justice.
God brings good out of evil, and therefore it were but reason we should trust God to govern his own world.
9. Rationale; just account.
This reason did the ancient fathers render, why the church was called catholic.
10. Moderation; moderate demands; claims which reason and justice admit or prescribe.
The most probable way of bringing France to reason, would be by the making an attempt on the Spanish West Indies -
In reason, in all reason, in justice; with rational ground.
When any thing is proved by as good arguments as a thing of that kind is capable of, we ought not in reason to doubt of its existence.
RE'ASON, v.i.
1. To exercise the faculty of reason; to deduce inferences justly from premises. Brutes do not reason; children reason imperfectly.
2. To argue; to infer conclusions from premises, or to deduce new or unknown propositions from previous propositions which are known or evident. To reason justly is to infer from propositions which are known, admitted or evident, the conclusions which are natural, or which necessarily result from them. Men may reason within themselves; they may reason before a court or legislature; they may reason wrong as well as right.
3. To debate; to confer or inquire by discussion or mutual communication of thoughts, arguments or reasons.
And they reasoned among themselves. Matthew 16.
1. To reason with, to argue with; to endeavor to inform, convince or persuade by argument. Reason with a profligate son, and if possible, persuade him of his errors.
2. To discourse; to talk; to take or give an account.
Stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord. Obs. 2 Samuel 12.
RE'ASON, v.t.
1. To examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss. I reasoned the matter with my friend.
When they are clearly discovered, well digested and well reasoned in every part, there is beauty in such a theory.
2. To persuade by reasoning or argument; as, to reason one into a belief of truth; to reason one out of his plan; to reason down a passion.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration" [syn: reason, ground]
2: an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon; "the reason a steady state was never reached was that the back pressure built up too slowly"
3: the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination; "we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil" [syn: reason, understanding, intellect]
4: the state of having good sense and sound judgment; "his rationality may have been impaired"; "he had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions" [syn: rationality, reason, reasonableness]
5: a justification for something existing or happening; "he had no cause to complain"; "they had good reason to rejoice" [syn: cause, reason, grounds]
6: a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion; "there is reason to believe he is lying" v
1: decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" [syn: reason, reason out, conclude]
2: present reasons and arguments [syn: argue, reason]
3: think logically; "The children must learn to reason"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English resoun, from Anglo-French raisun, from Latin ration-, ratio reason, computation, from reri to calculate, think; probably akin to Gothic rathjo account, explanation Date: 13th century 1. a. a statement offered in explanation or justification <gave reasons that were quite satisfactory> b. a rational ground or motive <a good reason to act soon> c. a sufficient ground of explanation or of logical defense; especially something (as a principle or law) that supports a conclusion or explains a fact <the reasons behind her client's action> d. the thing that makes some fact intelligible ; cause <the reason for earthquakes> <the real reason why he wanted me to stay — Graham Greene> 2. a. (1) the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways ; intelligence (2) proper exercise of the mind (3) sanity b. the sum of the intellectual powers 3. archaic treatment that affords satisfaction II. verb (reasoned; reasoning) Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. a. obsolete to take part in conversation, discussion, or argument b. to talk with another so as to influence actions or opinions <can't reason with them> 2. to use the faculty of reason so as to arrive at conclusions transitive verb 1. archaic to justify or support with reasons 2. to persuade or influence by the use of reason 3. to discover, formulate, or conclude by the use of reason <a carefully reasoned analysis> Synonyms: see think • reasoner noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a motive, cause, or justification (has good reasons for doing this; there is no reason to be angry). 2 a fact adduced or serving as this (I can give you my reasons). 3 the intellectual faculty by which conclusions are drawn from premisses. 4 sanity (has lost his reason). 5 Logic a premiss of a syllogism, esp. a minor premiss when given after the conclusion. 6 a faculty transcending the understanding and providing a priori principles; intuition. 7 sense; sensible conduct; what is right or practical or practicable; moderation. --v. 1 intr. form or try to reach conclusions by connected thought. 2 intr. (foll. by with) use an argument (with a person) by way of persuasion. 3 tr. (foll. by that + clause) conclude or assert in argument. 4 tr. (foll. by why, whether, what + clause) discuss; ask oneself. 5 tr. (foll. by into, out of) persuade or move by argument (I reasoned them out of their fears). 6 tr. (foll. by out) think or work out (consequences etc.). 7 tr. (often as reasoned adj.) express in logical or argumentative form. 8 tr. embody reason in (an amendment etc.). Phrases and idioms: by reason of owing to. in (or within) reason within the bounds of sense or moderation. it stands to reason (often foll. by that + clause) it is evident or logical. listen to reason be persuaded to act sensibly. see reason acknowledge the force of an argument. with reason justifiably. Derivatives: reasoner n. reasoning n. reasonless adj. Etymology: ME f. OF reisun, res(o)un, raisoner, ult. f. L ratio -onis f. reri rat- consider

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reason Rea"son, n. [OE. resoun, F. raison, fr. L. ratio (akin to Goth. rapj? number, account, garapjan to count, G. rede speech, reden to speak), fr. reri, ratus, to reckon, believe, think. Cf. Arraign, Rate, Ratio, Ration.] 1. A thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; a just ground for a conclusion or an action; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation; the efficient cause of an occurrence or a phenomenon; a motive for an action or a determination; proof, more or less decisive, for an opinion or a conclusion; principle; efficient cause; final cause; ground of argument. I'll give him reasons for it. --Shak. The reason of the motion of the balance in a wheel watch is by the motion of the next wheel. --Sir M. Hale. This reason did the ancient fathers render, why the church was called ``catholic.'' --Bp. Pearson. Virtue and vice are not arbitrary things; but there is a natural and eternal reason for that goodness and virtue, and against vice and wickedness. --Tillotson. 2. The faculty of capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished from the intelligence of the inferior animals; the higher as distinguished from the lower cognitive faculties, sense, imagination, and memory, and in contrast to the feelings and desires. Reason comprises conception, judgment, reasoning, and the intuitional faculty. Specifically, it is the intuitional faculty, or the faculty of first truths, as distinguished from the understanding, which is called the discursive or ratiocinative faculty. We have no other faculties of perceiving or knowing anything divine or human, but by our five senses and our reason. --P. Browne. In common and popular discourse, reason denotes that power by which we distinguish truth from falsehood, and right from wrong, and by which we are enabled to combine means for the attainment of particular ends. --Stewart. Reason is used sometimes to express the whole of those powers which elevate man above the brutes, and constitute his rational nature, more especially, perhaps, his intellectual powers; sometimes to express the power of deduction or argumentation. --Stewart. By the pure reason I mean the power by which we become possessed of principles. --Coleridge. The sense perceives; the understanding, in its own peculiar operation, conceives; the reason, or rationalized understanding, comprehends. --Coleridge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reason Rea"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Reasoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Reasoning.] [Cf. F. raisonner. See Reason, n.] 1. To exercise the rational faculty; to deduce inferences from premises; to perform the process of deduction or of induction; to ratiocinate; to reach conclusions by a systematic comparison of facts. 2. Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the inferences from them; to argue. Stand still, that I may reason with you, before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord. --1 Sam. xii. 7. 3. To converse; to compare opinions. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reason Rea"son, v. t. 1. To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss; as, I reasoned the matter with my friend. When they are clearly discovered, well digested, and well reasoned in every part, there is beauty in such a theory. --T. Burnet. 2. To support with reasons, as a request. [R.] --Shak. 3. To persuade by reasoning or argument; as, to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan. Men that will not be reasoned into their senses. --L'Estrange. 4. To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons; -- with down; as, to reason down a passion. 5. To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument; -- usually with out; as, to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(reasons, reasoning, reasoned) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. The reason for something is a fact or situation which explains why it happens or what causes it to happen. There is a reason for every important thing that happens... Who would have a reason to want to kill her? N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N for n, N to-inf 2. If you say that you have reason to believe something or to have a particular emotion, you mean that you have evidence for your belief or there is a definite cause of your feeling. They had reason to believe there could be trouble... He had every reason to be upset... N-UNCOUNT: usu N to-inf 3. The ability that people have to think and to make sensible judgments can be referred to as reason. ...a conflict between emotion and reason... N-UNCOUNT 4. If you reason that something is true, you decide that it is true after thinking carefully about all the facts. I reasoned that changing my diet would lower my cholesterol level... 'Listen,' I reasoned, 'it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Adam's up to.' VERB: V that, V with quote see also reasoned, reasoning 5. If one thing happens by reason of another, it happens because of it. (FORMAL) The boss retains enormous influence by reason of his position... PHRASE: PHR n 6. If you try to make someone listen to reason, you try to persuade them to listen to sensible arguments and be influenced by them. The company's top executives had refused to listen to reason. PHRASE: V inflects 7. If you say that something happened or was done for no reason, for no good reason, or for no reason at all, you mean that there was no obvious reason why it happened or was done. The guards, he said, would punch them for no reason... For no reason at all the two men started to laugh. PHRASE: PHR with cl 8. If a person or thing is someone's reason for living or their reason for being, they are the most important thing in that person's life. Chloe is my reason for living. PHRASE: usu poss PHR 9. If you say that something happened or is true for some reason, you mean that you know it happened or is true, but you do not know why. For some inexplicable reason she was attracted to Patrick. PHRASE: PHR with cl [vagueness] 10. If you say that you will do anything within reason, you mean that you will do anything that is fair or reasonable and not too extreme. I will take any job that comes along, within reason... PHRASE: PHR with cl, n PHR 11. rhyme or reason: see rhyme to see reason: see see it stands to reason: see stand

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Intellect, mind, sense, understanding, rational faculty, conception, judgment, intuitional faculty, thinking principle, intellectual powers or faculties, discursive power or faculty. 2. Cause, ground, principle, motive, consideration, account, efficient cause, sake. 3. Design, purpose, end, object, aim, final cause. 4. Argument, reasoning, ratiocination, right judgment, chain of reasoning, process of reasoning. 5. Reasonableness, wisdom, common-sense, good sense, right or just view. 6. Right, justice, fairness, equity. 7. Theory, exposition, rationale. II. v. n. 1. Draw conclusions, draw inferences, make deductions, ratiocinate, argue. 2. Argue, debate, dispute, chop logic, try conclusions, bandy words or arguments, hold or carry on an argument.

Moby Thesaurus

Vernunft, acceptable, accomplishment, account, admissibility, advise with, aim, air, allegorization, ambition, analyze, answer, antecedent, apologia, apology, apply reason, argument, argumentum, ascertainment, aspiration, balance, bargain, basis, because of, brain, brains, by reason of, by virtue of, calculate, call, call in, calling, canvass, case, cause, cerebrate, clarification, clearing up, cogitate, collect, collogue, comment upon, common sense, compare notes, conceive, conception, conceptualize, conclude, confer, confer with, cons, consider, consideration, consult, consult with, contact with reality, controvert, convince, cool head, coolheadedness, coolness, counsel, cracking, deal with, debate, decipherment, decoding, deduce, deduction, deductive reasoning, defence, deliberate, deliberate upon, demonstration, demythologization, denouement, derive, determinant, determination, discourse, discourse about, discourse of reason, discursive reason, discuss, discuss with, disentanglement, dissuade, draw a conclusion, draw an inference, due sense of, due to, editing, elenchus, elucidation, emendation, end, end result, enlightenment, entertain ideas, esprit, estimate, euhemerism, examine, exchange observations, exchange views, excuse, exegesis, exemplification, exercise the mind, explanation, explication, exposition, expounding, extract, fetch, figure out, find, finding, finding-out, fitting, form ideas, foundation, gather, generalize, glean, go into, goal, good reason, good sense, gray matter, ground, grounds, guiding light, guiding star, handle, have conversations, head, headpiece, healthy mind, hold conference, horse sense, hypothesize, ideal, ideate, ignoratio elenchi, illumination, illustration, induce, induction, inductive reasoning, infer, inference, insight, inspiration, intellect, intellection, intellectual faculty, intellectualize, intelligence, intention, interpretation, investigate, issue, judgement, justifiability, justifiable, justification, justness, knock around, level head, levelheadedness, light, lodestar, logic, logical thought, logicality, logicalize, logicalness, logicize, lucid interval, lucidity, mainspring, marbles, material basis, matter, mens, mental balance, mental capacity, mental equilibrium, mental health, mental hygiene, mental poise, mentality, mind, motive, negotiate, normalcy, normality, normalness, nous, object, objective, occasion, on account of, outcome, owing to, palaver, parley, pass under review, percipience, perspicacity, persuade, philosophize, philosophy, plaidoyer, plain sense, plausibility, plea, plead with, pleading, point, power of reason, powwow, practical mind, practical wisdom, practicality, pretense, pretext, prevail upon, principle, proof, proper, pros, pros and cons, provide a rationale, psyche, purpose, put heads together, rap, ratio, ratiocination, rational, rational ground, rationale, rationalism, rationality, rationalization, rationalize, rationalizing, reason about, reason for, reason that, reason the point, reason why, reason with, reasonability, reasonable, reasonableness, reasoning, reasoning faculty, reckon, refer to, reflect, refutation, resolution, resolving, result, review, riddling, right, right mind, sake, sanemindedness, saneness, sanity, score, sense, senses, sensible, sensibleness, sift, simplification, sit down together, sit down with, smarts, sober senses, sober-mindedness, soberness, sobriety, solution, solving, sophistry, sorting out, sound mind, sound sense, soundness, soundness of mind, source, special pleading, specious reasoning, speculate, spring, stated cause, study, substance, sweet reason, syllogize, take as proved, take counsel, take up, take up with, talk, talk about, talk of, talk over, talking point, the big idea, the idea, the whatfor, the wherefore, the why, theorize, think, thresh out, treat, ulterior motive, underlying reason, understanding, unlocking, unraveling, unriddling, unscrambling, unspinning, untangling, untwisting, unweaving, upshot, urge, use reason, ventilate, vindication, vocation, warrant, wherefore, wholesomeness, why, whyfor, wit, work out, working, working-out