Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RE-AS-CEND'ED, pp.

Ascended again.

RE-AS-CEND'ING, ppr.

Ascending again.

RE-AS-CEN'SION, n.

The act of reascending; a remount.

RE-AS-CENT', n.

A returning ascent; acclivity. – Cowper.

REAS-ON, n. [re'zn; Ir. reasun; W. rheswm; Arm. resoun; Fr. raison; Sp. razon; Port. razam; It. ragione; L. ratio; Russ. razum; Goth. rathyo, an account, number, ratio; rathyan, to number; garathyan, to number or count; rodyan, to speak; D. rede, speech; reden, reason, argument; redenkunst, rhetoric; G. rede, reden; Sax. ræd, ræda, speech, reason; ræswian, to reason. We find united the Sax. ræd, speech, rædan, redan, to read, the Gr. ῥεω, to say or speak, whence rhetoric, and the L. ratio, which is from ratus, and which proves reor to be contracted from redo, redor, and all unite with rod, L. radius, &c. Primarily, reason is that which is uttered. See Read. So Gr. λογος, from λεγω.]

1. That which is thought or which is alledged 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 opinions, 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 Pet iii. Tillotson.
3. Efficient cause. He is detained by reason of sickness. Spain is thin sown of people, partly by reason of its sterility of soil. – Bacon. The reason of the motion of the balance in a wheel-watch is by motion of the next wheel. – Hale.
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. – Locke.
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. – Encyc. 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. – Pope. Reason is the director of man's will. – Hooker.
6. Ratiocination; the exercise of reason. But when by reason she the truth has found. Davies.
7. Right; justice; that which is dictated or supported by is reason. Every man claims to have reason on his side. I was promised on a time / To have reason for my rhyme. – Spenser.
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. – Taylor.
9. Rationale; just account. This reason did the ancient fathers render, why the church was called Catholic. – Pearson. [See No. 1 and 2.]
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. – Addison. 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 its existence. – Tillotson.

REAS-ON, v.i. [Fr. raisonner; Sax. ræswian.]

1. To exercise the faculty of reason; to deduce inference 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. – Matth. xvi. 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.] – 1 Sam. xii.

REAS-ON, 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. – Burnet.
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.

REAS-ON-A-BLE, a.

1. Having the faculty of reason; endued with reason; as, a reasonable being. [In this sense, rational is now generally used.]
2. Governed by reason; being under the influence of reason; thinking, speaking or acting rationally or according to the dictates of reason; as, the measure must satisfy all reasonable men.
3. Conformable or agreeable to reason; just; rational. By indubitable certainty, I mean that which does not admit of any reasonable cause of doubting. – Wilkins. A law may be reasonable in itself, though a man does not allow it. – Swift.
4. Not immoderate. Let all things be thought upon, / That may with reasonable swiftness add / More feathers to our wings. – Shak.
5. Tolerable; being in mediocrity; Moderate; a reasonable quantity. – Abbot.
6. Not excessive; not unjust; as, a reasonable fine; a reasonable sum in damages.

REAS-ON-A-BLE-NESS, n.

1. The faculty of reason. [In this sense, little used.]
2. Agreeableness to reason; that state or quality of a thing which reason supports or justifies; as, the reasonableness of our wishes, demands or expectations. The reasonableness and excellency of charity. – Law.
3. Conformity to rational principles. The whole frame and contexture of a watch carries in it reasonableness … the passive impression of the reason or intellectual idea that was in the artist. [Unusual.] – Hale.
4. Moderation; as, the reasonableness of demand.

REAS-ON-A-BLY, adv.

1. In a manner or degree agreeable to reason; in consistency with reason. We may reasonably suppose self-interest to be the governing principle of men.
2. Moderately; in a moderate degree; not fully; degree reaching to mediocrity. If we can by industry make our deaf and dumb persons reasonably perfect in the language. – Holder.

REAS-ON-ED, pp.

1. Examined or discussed by arguments.
2. Persuaded by reasoning or argument.

REAS-ON-ER, n.

One who reasons or argues; as, a fair reasoner; a close reasoner; a logical reasoner.

REAS-ON-ING, n.

The act or process of exercising the of reason; that act or operation of the mind by which new or unknown propositions are deduced from previous ones which are known and evident, or which are admitted or supposed for the sake of argument; argumentation; ratiocination; as, fair reasoning; false reasoning; absurd reasoning; strong or weak reasoning. The reasonings of the advocate appeared to the court conclusive.

REAS-ON-ING, ppr.

Arguing; deducing inferences from premises; debating; discussing.

REAS-ON-LESS, a.

1. Destitute of reason; as, a reasonless man or mind. – Shak. Ralegh.
2. Void of reason; not warranted or supported by reason. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. – Shak.

RE-AS-SEM'BLAGE, n.

Assemblage a second time.

RE-AS-SEM'BLE, v.i.

To assemble or convene again.

RE-AS-SEM'BLE, v.t. [re and assemble.]

To collect again. – Milton.

RE-AS-SEM'BLED, pp.

Assembled again.

RE-AS-SEM'BLING, ppr.

Assembling again.

RE-AS-SERT', v.t. [re and assert.]

To assert again; to maintain after suspension or cessation. Let us hope … we may have a body of authors who will reassert our claim to respectability in literature. – Walsh.

RE-AS-SERT'ED, pp.

Asserted or maintained anew.

RE-AS-SERT'ING, ppr.

Asserting again; indicating anew.

RE-AS-SER'TION, n.

A second assertion of the same thing.

RE-AS-SIGN, v.t. [re and assign.]

To assign back; to transfer back what has been assigned.