different between reason vs because
reason
English
Etymology
From Middle English resoun, reson, from Anglo-Norman raisun (Old French raison), from Latin rati?, from ratus, past participle of reor (“reckon”). Doublet of ration and ratio.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??i?z?n/
- Rhymes: -i?z?n
- Hyphenation: rea?son
Noun
reason (countable and uncountable, plural reasons)
- A cause:
- That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
- 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 […]
- 1996, Daniel Clement Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, page 198:
- A motive for an action or a determination.
- 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 […]
- 1806, Anonymous, Select Notes to Book XXI, in, Alexander Pope, translator, The Odyssey of Homer, volume 6 (London, F.J. du Roveray), page 37:
- 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, 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, page 14:
- (logic) A premise placed after its conclusion.
- That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
- (uncountable) Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition.
- 1970, Hannah Arendt, On Violence ?ISBN, 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 […]
- 1970, Hannah Arendt, On Violence ?ISBN, page 62:
- (obsolete) Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice.
- 16th century Edmund Spenser, Lines on his Promised Pension
- I was promised, on a time, To have reason for my rhyme.
- 16th century Edmund Spenser, Lines on his Promised Pension
- (mathematics, obsolete) Ratio; proportion.
- a. 1677, Isaac Barrow, The Usefulness of Mathematical Learning Explained and Demonstrated
- Geometrical Reasons
- a. 1677, Isaac Barrow, The Usefulness of Mathematical Learning Explained and Demonstrated
Synonyms
- (that which causes): cause
- (motive for an action): rationale, motive
- (thought offered in support): excuse
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
reason (third-person singular simple present reasons, present participle reasoning, simple past and past participle reasoned)
- (intransitive) To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational
- 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band
- "I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data. […] "
- 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band
- (intransitive) To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To converse; to compare opinions.
- (transitive, intransitive) 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.
- 1901, Ralph Connor, The Man from Glengarry Chapter 9
- The talk was mainly between Aleck and Murdie, the others crowding eagerly about and putting in a word as they could. Murdie was reasoning good-humoredly, Aleck replying fiercely.
- (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
- 1816, Jane Austen, Emma Volume 2/Chapter 10
- That she was not immediately ready, Emma did suspect to arise from the state of her nerves; she had not yet possessed the instrument long enough to touch it without emotion; she must reason herself into the power of performance; and Emma could not but pity such feelings, whatever their origin, and could not but resolve never to expose them to her neighbour again.
- (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
Translations
Further reading
- reason at OneLook Dictionary Search
- reason in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- reason in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- Roanes, Serano, arseno-, senora, señora
reason From the web:
- what reasons can unemployment be denied
- what reasons would unemployment be denied
because
English
Alternative forms
- bycause, becos, 'cause, cos, cuz, coz, 'cos, 'cuz, 'coz, b/c, bc, bcus
Etymology
From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.
Pronunciation
- (stressed)
- (UK) IPA(key): /b??k?z/
- (UK, dated) IPA(key): /b??k??z/
- (US) IPA(key): /bi?k?z/, /bi?k?z/, /b??k?z/
- (unstressed)
- IPA(key): /b?k?z/
- Rhymes: -?z
- Hyphenation: be?cause
- Rhymes: -??z
Adverb
because (not comparable)
- (archaic) For the reason (that).
- 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:
- And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
- 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:
- On account (of), for sake (of).
- (by ellipsis) Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer a question begun with "why", usually taken as an anapodoton of the elided full phrase "Because I said so".
Derived terms
- because of
- just because
Translations
Conjunction
because
- By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
- As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.
- (obsolete) So that, in order that. [15th-17th c.]
Synonyms
- (for the reason that): therefore, since, for, for that, forthy, for sake, forwhy (obsolete), as, inasmuch as, sith (obsolete), ? (mathematics symbol); see also Thesaurus:because
Translations
Preposition
because
- (uncommon, slang, nonstandard, especially Internet) On account of, because of. [since at least the 20th century]
Derived terms
- because reasons
References
- Glossa, volume 17 (1997), page 175: cf. Emonds 1976:175 on the analysis of Modern English because as a preposition introducing a clause
because From the web:
- what because we are poor
- what because mean
- what because rugs
- what causes hiccups
- what causes high blood pressure
- what causes kidney stones
- what causes diarrhea
- what causes hemorrhoids
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