different between reason vs assert
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
assert
English
Etymology
From Latin assertus, perfect passive participle of asser? (“declare someone free or a slave by laying hands upon him; hence free from, protect, defend; lay claim to, assert, declare”), from ad (“to”) + ser? (“join, range in a row”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /??s??t/
- (General American) IPA(key): /??s?t/
- Rhymes: -??(?)t
Verb
assert (third-person singular simple present asserts, present participle asserting, simple past and past participle asserted)
- To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively.
- He would often assert that there was life on other planets.
- To use or exercise and thereby prove the existence of.
- to assert one's authority
- Salman Rushdie has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work.
- To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to
- to assert our rights and liberties
- (programming) To specify that a condition or expression is true at a certain point in the code.
- (electronics) To set a signal on a line using a voltage or electric current.
Antonyms
- remit
- deny
- deassert
Synonyms
- affirm
- asseverate
- aver
Related terms
Translations
Noun
assert (plural asserts)
- (computer science) an assertion; a section of source code which tests whether an expected condition is true.
Translations
References
- “assert” in the Collins English Dictionary
Further reading
- assert in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- assert in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- assert at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- Sastre, Saters, TASers, Tasers, Tesars, asters, reasts, setars, stares, stears, tarses, tasers
Portuguese
Noun
assert m (plural asserts)
- (programming) assert (conditional statement that checks the validity of a value)
assert From the web:
- what assertive mean
- what assertion
- what assertion does vouching test
- what assertion does tracing test
- what assertion is made at the beginning of the transcript
- what assertions do confirmations test
- what assertions do reconciliations cover
- what assertive sentence
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