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ratiocination

[ rash-ee-os-uh-ney-shuh n, -oh-suh-, rat-ee- ]
/ ˌræʃ iˌɒs əˈneɪ ʃən, -ˌoʊ sə-, ˌræt i- /
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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

  1. ratiné,
  2. ratio,
  3. ratio scale,
  4. ratio test,
  5. ratiocinate,
  6. ratiometer,
  7. ration,
  8. rational,
  9. rational form,
  10. rational function

Origin of ratiocination

1520–30; < Latin ratiōcinātiōn- (stem of ratiōcinātiō), equivalent to ratiōcināt(us) (see ratiocinate) + -iōn- -ion
Related formsra·ti·oc·i·na·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ratiocination

Word Origin and History for ratiocination

ratiocination

n.

"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