ratiocination
[ rash-ee-os-uh-ney-shuh n, -oh-suh-, rat-ee- ]
/ ˌræʃ iˌɒs əˈneɪ ʃən, -ˌoʊ sə-, ˌræt i- /
noun
the process of logical reasoning.
RELATED WORDS
argumentation, coherence, inference, rationale, relationship, deduction, philosophy, syllogism, connection, sanity, reason, rationality, thesis, sense, dialectic, induction, linkage
Nearby words
- ratiné,
- ratio,
- ratio scale,
- ratio test,
- ratiocinate,
- ratiometer,
- ration,
- rational,
- rational form,
- rational function
Origin of ratiocination
1520–30; < Latin ratiōcinātiōn- (stem of ratiōcinātiō), equivalent to ratiōcināt(us) (see ratiocinate) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ratiocination
ratiocination
"process of reasoning," 1520s, from Latin ratiocinationem (nominative ratiocinatio) "a reasoning, calm reasoning," from past participle stem of ratiocinare "to calculate, deliberate," from ratio (see ratio) + -cinari, which probably is related to conari "to try" (see conation).
Most writers make ratiocination synonymous with reasoning. J.S. Mill and others hold that the word is usually limited to necessary reasoning. [Century Dictionary]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper