different between reason vs essence
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
essence
English
Etymology
From French essence, from Latin essentia (“the being or essence of a thing”), from an artificial formation of esse (“to be”), to translate Ancient Greek ????? (ousía, “being”), from ?? (?n), present participle of ???? (eimí, “I am, exist”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??s?ns/
Noun
essence (countable and uncountable, plural essences)
- The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
- 1713 September 21, Joseph Addison, The Guardian, collected in The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, volume IV, Birmingham: John Baskerville, published 1761, page 263:
- CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands, ?ays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expre??ions, not the e??ence of this virtue.
- 1713 September 21, Joseph Addison, The Guardian, collected in The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, volume IV, Birmingham: John Baskerville, published 1761, page 263:
- (philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
- Constituent substance.
- A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
- A significant feature of something.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.
- An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring.
- Fragrance, a perfume.
Synonyms
- (inherent nature): quintessence, whatness; See also Thesaurus:essence
- (significant feature): gist, crux; See also Thesaurus:gist
- (fragrance): aroma, bouquet; See also Thesaurus:aroma
Derived terms
- in essence
- of the essence; time is of the essence
Related terms
- essential
- essentially
- essentialism
- quintessential
Translations
Further reading
- essence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- essence in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- senesce
French
Etymology
From Old French, from Latin essentia. Sense 2 very likely from Latin ed? (“eat”), in the sense of 'what is eaten, fuel'. Many forms of the latter are indistinguishable from the former, and so the confusion with essence is very understandable.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /e.s??s/, /?.s??s/
Noun
essence f (plural essences)
- (philosophy, theology) essence
- petrol, gasoline
- essence, essential oil
Derived terms
- poste d'essence
- station essence
Further reading
- “essence” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Anagrams
- censées
essence From the web:
- what essence means
- what essences to corrupt
- what incense should i use
- what essential oils are bad for dogs
- what essence does
- what essence do
- what essence of life
- what essence of gamaba
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