Emily Dickinson Lexicon

rear, n. [aphetic form of arrear < OFr < L. ad, to + retro, backward.] (webplay: front).

Back; hind side; part not obvious to view.

rear (-ed, -s), v. [OE 'raise'.] (webplay: sun).

1. Raise; lift; elevate; fly high; bring to view.
2. Imbue with life; endow with immortality; bring back from the dead.

rearrange, v. [L. re-, again + OFr à, to + rang, rank.]

Change; alter; modify; make different.

reason (-s), n. [OFr < L. ratiōn-em, reckoning, account, relation, understanding, motive, cause < rēri, think, reckon.] (webplay: ask, being, charity, God, known, men, mind, sense, soul, speak, talk, thought, world).

1. Logic; rational thinking; mental construct.
2. Answer; motive; grounds; determining factor; cause of action.

reason (-s), v. [see reason, n.] (webplay: arguments, excellency, found, new, say).

1. Think; ponder; muse; consider; contemplate; philosophize; pose a question; present an issue to be discussed logically.
2. Contend; debate; argue; discuss by presenting logical arguments; attempt to find an answer through rational thinking.

reasonable, adj. [see reason, n.]

Moderate; fair; affordable; not excessive; not exorbitant.

Rebecca, proper n. [Heb. ribhqāh, clog, fetter, tie up the fetlock.]

Rebekah; Old Testament wife of Isaac; mother of Jacob and Esau; Jewish maiden who gave water to a servant who was seeking a bride for Isaac (see Genesis 24-25); the Jewish daughter of Isaac of York in Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe.

rebel (-s), n. [Fr. < L. re-, again + bellum, war.]

Rascal; rogue; mischief-maker; trickster; upstart; disobedient creature; wild one; one who refuses to conform to strict rules of propriety.

rebel (-led), v. [see rebel, n.]

Revolt; resist; oppose; rise in opposition.

rebuild (rebuilt), v. [L. re-, again + ME bulden < *byldan; see build, v.] (webplay: again).

Reconstruct; reassemble; repair; raise again; set up one more time.