different between reason vs element

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)

1. A cause:
   1. 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 […]

   2. 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 […]

   3. 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.

   4. (logic) A premise placed after its conclusion.
2. (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 […]
3. (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.

4. (mathematics, obsolete) Ratio; proportion.
   • a. 1677, Isaac Barrow, The Usefulness of Mathematical Learning Explained and Demonstrated

     Geometrical Reasons

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)

1. (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. […] "

2. (intransitive) To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To converse; to compare opinions.
4. (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.

5. (transitive, rare) To support with reasons, as a request.
6. (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.

7. (transitive, with down) To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.

   to reason down a passion

8. (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

English

Etymology

From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ?l'?m?nt, IPA^(key): /??l?m?nt/
• Hyphenation: el?e?ment

Noun

element (plural elements)

1. One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
   • 1881, Benjamin Jowett, Thucydides

     The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn.

   1. (chemistry) Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.
   2. One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.
   3. (law) A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded as a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
   4. (set theory) One of the objects in a set.
   5. Any of the teeth of a zip fastener.
2. A small part of the whole.
3. (obsolete) The sky.
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, Letter 69:

     Sometimes, solitude is of all things my wish; and the awful silence of the night, the spangled element, and the rising and setting sun, how promotive of contemplation!

4. (plural only, with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

5. A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

6. (Christianity, usually in the plural) The bread and wine taken at Holy Communion.
7. A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

8. A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.

10. (computing) One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by tags.

Synonyms

• (in chemistry): chemical element, firststuff (rare, nonstandard)
• (in set theory): member

Hyponyms

• chemical element
• data element
• heating element

Derived terms

• single-element

Related terms

• elemental
• elementary

Translations

See also

• atom

Verb

element (third-person singular simple present elements, present participle elementing, simple past and past participle elemented)

1. (obsolete) To compound of elements.
   • 1633, John Donne, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

     those things which elemented [love]

   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist:

     elemented bodies

   • 1681, Maunyngham, Disc., page 89:

     thou art elemented and organed

2. (obsolete) To constitute and be the elements of.
   • 1658, Izaak Walton, Life of Donne:

     His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.

Related terms

• transelement

Further reading

• element in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• element in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

References

• Lehmann, R.G. (2011). "27-30-22-26 - How many letters needs an alphabet?". In de Voogt, A.; Quack, J.F. The Idea of Writing: Writing Across Borders. Brill. pp. 15–16, note 8.

Anagrams

• leetmen

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?.l??ment/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?.l??men/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /e.le?ment/

Noun

element m (plural elements)

1. element (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

• elemental
• element químic

Further reading

• “element” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “element” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “element” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “element” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element

1. element.

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

Danish

Noun

element n (singular definite elementet, plural indefinite elementer)

1. (set theory) element

Declension

References

• “element” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”), of uncertain origin (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?.l??m?nt/
• Hyphenation: ele?ment
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

element n (plural elementen, diminutive elementje n)

1. element
2. (chemistry) element
3. (set theory) element

Derived terms

• elementair

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: elemen

Anagrams

• leemten

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element or elementer, definite plural elementa or elementene)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element, definite plural elementa)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?.m?nt/

Noun

element m inan

1. element (component, piece of a larger whole)
2. (derogatory) element (group of people)

Declension

Further reading

• element in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• element in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From French élément, from Latin elementum.

Noun

element n (plural elemente)

1. element

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

• (Bosnian, Serbian): elèmenat

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el?ment/
• Hyphenation: e?le?ment

Noun

elèment m (Cyrillic spelling ???????)

1. element

Declension

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

element n

1. element; basic building block of matter in ancient philosophy
2. element; a place or state of being that an individual or object is better suited towards
3. elements; forces of weather
4. element; an object in a set
5. (mathematics) element of a matrix
6. heating element, radiator
7. (computing) element; object in markup language

Declension

Related terms

• elementär
• elementa
• elementar-

Turkish

Etymology

From German Element.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?.le.?ment]
• Hyphenation: e?le?ment

Noun

element (definite accusative elementi, plural elementler)

1. (chemistry) element

Declension