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Origin and history of reasoning

reasoning(n.)

late 14c., resouning, "exercise of the power of reason; act or process of thinking logically;" also an instance of this, a presentation of reasons or arguments; verbal noun from reason (v.).

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to reasoning

reason(v.)

c. 1400, resounen, "to question (someone)," also "to challenge," from Old French resoner, raisoner "speak, discuss; argue; address; speak to," from Late Latin rationare "to discourse," from Latin ratio "reckoning, understanding, motive, cause," from ratus, past participle of reri "to reckon, think" (from PIE root *re- "to reason, count").

The intransitive sense of "to think in a logical manner, exercise the faculty of reason" is from 1590s; transitive sense of "employ reasoning (with someone)" is from 1680s. Related: Reasoned; reasoning.

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    More to explore

    ratiocination
    "process of reasoning, mental process of passing from the cognition of premises to the cognition of the conclusion," 1520s..., from Latin ratiocinationem (nominative ratiocinatio) "a reasoning, calm reasoning," noun of action from past-participle...Most writers make ratiocination synonymous with reasoning. J.S....Mill and others hold that the word is usually limited to necessary reasoning. [Century Dictionary]...
    logic
    mid-14c., logike, "branch of philosophy that treats of forms of thinking; the science of distinction of true from false reasoning...," from Old French logique (13c.), from Latin (ars) logica "logic," from Greek (he) logike (techne) "(the) reasoning (art...)," from fem. of logikos "pertaining to speaking or reasoning" (also "of or pertaining to speech"), from logos "reason, idea...
    sophistry
    "subtle but fallacious reasoning," mid-14c., sophistrie, from Old French sophistrie (Modern French sophisterie) and directly..."Sophistry applies to reasoning as sophism to a single argument" [Century Dictionary]....
    argument
    early 14c., "statements and reasoning in support of a proposition or causing belief in a doubtful matter," from Old French...arguement "reasoning, opinion; accusation, charge" (13c.), from Latin argumentum "a logical argument; evidence, ground,...
    discourse
    late 14c., "process of understanding, reasoning, thought," from French discours, from Latin discursus "a running about,"...in Late Latin "conversation," in Medieval Latin "reasoning," noun use of past participle of discurrere "to run about, run...
    ration
    1550, "the mental process of reasoning," later, "the relation of one number to another" (1660s), then "fixed allowance of...are from Latin rationem (nominative ratio) "reckoning, numbering, calculation; business affair, procedure," also "reason, reasoning...
    enthymeme
    an inference from likelihoods and signs," 1580s, from Latin enthymema, from Greek enthymema "thought, argument, piece of reasoning...
    regress
    late 14c., regresse, "a return, passage back, act of going back," from Latin regressus "a return, retreat, a going back," noun use of past participle of regredi "to go back," from re- "back" (see re-) + gradi "to step, walk" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go"). More common in
    prevision
    early 15c., previsioun, "foresight," from Old French prévision (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin previsionem (nominative previsio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin praevidere "see first, see beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + videre "to see" (fro
    analysis
    1580s, "resolution of anything complex into simple elements" (opposite of synthesis), from Medieval Latin analysis (15c.), from Greek analysis "solution of a problem by analysis," literally "a breaking up, a loosening, releasing," noun of action from analyein "unloose, release, s

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