Contents
English
Wikipedia has an article on: Reason Most common English words: John « hour « air « #368: reason » feel » behind » snPart or all of this page has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
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Etymology
From Anglo-Norman raisun (Old French raison), from Latin rationem, an accusative of ratio, from ratus, past participle of reor (“think”).
Pronunciation
Noun
reason (plural reasons)
- A cause:
- That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
- The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted.
- 1996, Daniel Clement Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, page 198,
- There is a reason why so many should be symmetrical: The selective advantage in a symmetrical complex is enjoyed by all the subunits…
- A motive for an action or a determination.
- The reason I robbed the bank was that I needed the money.
- 1806, Anonymous, Select Notes to Book XXI, in, Alexander Pope, translator, The Odyssey of Homer, volume 6, London, F.J. du Roveray, page 37,
- This is the reason why he proposes to offer a libation, to atone for the abuse of the day by their diversions.
- 1881, Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, chapter 10,
- Ralph Touchett, for reasons best known to himself, had seen fit to say that Gilbert Osmond was not a good fellow….
- 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.
- 1966, Graham Greene, The Comedians, Penguin Classics edition, ISBN 0140184945, page 14,
- 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.
- 1966, Graham Greene, The Comedians, Penguin Classics edition, ISBN 0140184945, page 14,
- (Can we verify() this sense?) proof, more or less decisive, for an opinion or a conclusion
- That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
- (uncountable) The cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, reasoning, and intuition; (roughly) the ability to think.
- Mankind should develop reason above all other virtues.
- 1970, Hannah Arendt, On Violence, ISBN 0156695006, page 62,
- And the specific distinction between man and beast is now, strictly speaking, no longer reason (the lumen naturale of the human animal) but science….
- (obsolete) Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice.
- (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Spenser
- I was promised, on a time, To have reason for my rhyme.
- (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Spenser
- (Can we verify() this sense?) (obsolete) due exercise of the reasoning faculty
- (mathematics, obsolete) ratio; proportion.
Synonyms
- (that which causes): cause
- (motive for an action): rationale, motive
- (thought offered in support): excuse
Derived terms
Terms derived from the noun reason
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Verb
to reason (third-person singular simple present reasons, present participle reasoning, simple past and past participle reasoned)
- (intransitive) 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.
- (intransitive) 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.
- (intransitive) To converse; to compare opinions.
- (transitive) To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.
- I reasoned the matter with my friend.
- (transitive, rare) To support with reasons, as a request.
- (transitive) To persuade by reasoning or argument.
- to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan
- (transitive, with down) To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.
- to reason down a passion
- (transitive, usually with out) To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.
- to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon
Derived terms
Terms derived from the verb “reason”
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Translations
exercise the rational faculty
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
External links
- reason in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- reason in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
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What would be a good reason to use during an job interview to get the specific days and hours I want?
Q. I have an upcoming interview with a big retail store. I would like to work part-time from 6 to 9 pm and from Monday to Friday only. I want to keep my weekends free. For obvious reasons, retailers will frown on this. I have a family, a one year old baby boy whom I really would like to spend time with along with rests of the family on weekends. What would be an excellent reason to give the interviewer to hire me and give me the days and hours that I am requesting?
Asked by MyCanvas - Sat Apr 10 00:51:35 2010 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
A. FIRST... *** please read the article attached *** It will spell things out and should provide more assistance. SECOND... I hate to do this, but I need to be brutally, and realistically honest with you, otherwise you would be headed on a suicide mission of a colossal waste of time. Almost every industry and occupation right now has about 10 times more than usual resumes coming in full of people out there willing to work for less money, and for longer hours due to the recession. Unfortunately I can assure you that in this market, you are not in the driver's seat with negotiations at all, and on top of that, unless they specify that they have part time positions open, no matter how you phrase it, it will not work...period. You can't… [cont.]
Answered by DeutscheMann7 - Mon Apr 12 04:50:33 2010
Q. I have an upcoming interview with a big retail store. I would like to work part-time from 6 to 9 pm and from Monday to Friday only. I want to keep my weekends free. For obvious reasons, retailers will frown on this. I have a family, a one year old baby boy whom I really would like to spend time with along with rests of the family on weekends. What would be an excellent reason to give the interviewer to hire me and give me the days and hours that I am requesting?
Asked by MyCanvas - Sat Apr 10 00:51:35 2010 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
A. FIRST... *** please read the article attached *** It will spell things out and should provide more assistance. SECOND... I hate to do this, but I need to be brutally, and realistically honest with you, otherwise you would be headed on a suicide mission of a colossal waste of time. Almost every industry and occupation right now has about 10 times more than usual resumes coming in full of people out there willing to work for less money, and for longer hours due to the recession. Unfortunately I can assure you that in this market, you are not in the driver's seat with negotiations at all, and on top of that, unless they specify that they have part time positions open, no matter how you phrase it, it will not work...period. You can't… [cont.]
Answered by DeutscheMann7 - Mon Apr 12 04:50:33 2010
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