English Explanatory Dictionary

reason

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A cause:
  2. That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
  3. A motive for an action or a determination.
  4. An excuse: a thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation.
  5. A premise placed after its conclusion.
  6. Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition.
  7. Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice.
  8. Ratio; proportion.
verb
  1. To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational.
  2. To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
  3. To converse; to compare opinions.
  4. To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.
  5. To support with reasons, as a request.
  6. To persuade by reasoning or argument.
  7. To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.
  8. To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.
noun
  1. A wall plate.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹiː.zən/ [ˈɹiː.zn̩] [ˈɹɪj.zn̩] /ˈɹi.zən/ [ˈɹi.zn̩] en-us-reason.ogg [ˈɹɪi.zən]

Word forms

reason reasons reasoning reasoned rasen raisen raysin raison

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.

Synonyms

that which causes occasion rationale motive excuse

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

Aghwan: 𐕗𐔰𐕊𐔰𐕙 Albanian: arsye Albanian: shkak Arabic: سَبَب Arabic: سبب Armenian: պատճառ Assamese: কাৰণ Avar: сабаб Azerbaijani: səbəb Bashkir: сәбәп Basque: arrazoi Belarusian: прычы́на Bengali: কারণ Bulgarian: причи́на Burmese: ဟိတ် Catalan: causa Catalan: raó Catalan: motiu Cebuano: rason Chichewa: chifukwa Chinese Cantonese: 理由 Chinese Cantonese: 原因 Chinese Mandarin: 理由 Chinese Mandarin: 原因 Crimean Tatar: sebep Czech: příčina Danish: årsag Danish: grund Dutch: oorzaak Dutch: reden Dutch: grond Esperanto: kialo Estonian: põhjus Finnish: syy French: raison French: cause Galician: razón Georgian: მიზეზი Georgian: საბაბი German: Grund German: Ursache Greek: λόγος Ancient Greek: αἰτία Hebrew: סיבה \ סִבָּה Hindi: कारण Hindi: वजह Hindi: सबब Hindi: बाइस Hungarian: ok Icelandic: ástæða Icelandic: orsök Indonesian: alasan Indonesian: sebab Irish: ábhar Irish: fáth Old Irish: accuis Old Irish: adbar Italian: ragione Italian: causa Italian: perché Japanese: 理由 Japanese: 原因
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