| 释义 |
reasonable, a., adv., and n.|ˈriːz(ə)nəb(ə)l|
Forms: 4 raison-, reison-, 4–5 resoun-, (5 resun-), 4–7 reson-, 5–6 resson-, 6 rezon-, 5– reasonable (also 4–6 -abil, -abyll, etc.; 5 resenable, 6 reasnable).
[a. OF. raison(n)able, reson(n)able, etc. (mod.F. raisonnable), f. raison, reson, etc. reason, after L. ratiōnābilis rationable. The 15th c. form resenable may represent the earlier resnable renable, q.v.]
A. adj.
1. Endowed with reason. = rational a. 1. Now rare.
a. of persons or living things, esp. reasonable creature († or reasonable beast).
c1374Chaucer Boeth. v. pr. iv. 128 (Camb. MS.) Man is a resonable two foted beest. Ibid. pr. vi. 133 The commune Iugement of alle creaturis resonablis..is this þat god is eterne. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 64 Or lang tyme be gane, thare sall men that ar callit resonable do mare bestly dedis. 1502Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) Prol. 2 Every creature resonable unto whome god hathe gyuen mynde and understandynge. 1588Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 251 Man, a reasonable creature whose dignity doth come so neere the Angels. 1650Jer. Taylor Holy Living & Dying (1870) 7 Let your employment be such as may become a reasonable person. 1725Watts Logic iii. ii. §5 If every Creature be reasonable, every Brute is reasonable. 1791Burke App. Whigs Wks. 1826 VI. 218 For man is by nature reasonable.
b. of the soul or intellectual powers.
1390Gower Conf. III. 378 Thilke intelligence In mannys soule resonable Hath schape to be perdurable. c1425Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 45 In his slepe he was raueshid from his resonable wyttys. 1538Starkey England i. ii. 40 Some sayd that man was no thyng els but hys resonabul soule. 1595Shakes. John iii. iv. 54 My reasonable part produces reason How I may be deliuer'd of these woes. 1648Shorter Catech. §22 Christ..became man by taking to Himself a true body and reasonable soul. 1736Chandler Hist. Persec. Introd. 2 Every Man is bound..to make the best use he can of his reasonable powers. 1838–9Hallam Hist. Lit. II. ii. iii. §6. 102 The reasonable soul of mankind is not numerically one.
fig.1610Shakes. Temp. v. i. 81 Their vnderstanding Begins to swell, and the approching tide Will shortly fill the reasonable shore.
2. a. Having sound judgement; sensible, sane. = rational a. 1 b. Also, not asking for too much.
13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 724 Fyfty fyn frendez..Þat..reȝtful wern & resounable & redy þe to serue. c1386Chaucer Wife's Prol. 441 Sith a man is moore resonable Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 10 He is able to satisfi ani reasnable natural philosopher in that point. 1638Junius Paint. Ancients 39 Reasonable and judicious Readers will not dislike the same digression. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. 46 To give any reasonable Man an answer to any useful Question in the Art of Gunnery. 1751Smollett Per. Pic. xxxix, Those polite, candid, reasonable watermen demanded a Louis d'or for that service. 1769Junius Lett. i. 10 We are governed by counsels from which a reasonable man can expect no remedy but poison. 1802Gouv. Morris in Sparks Life & Writ. (1832) III. 369 If mankind were reasonable they would want no government. 1883A. K. Green (Mrs. Rohlfs) Hand & Ring iii, ‘Ferris is a reasonable man’, said the coroner.
b. Requiring the use of reason. nonce-use.
1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 409 Is not your Father growne incapable Of reasonable affayres.
†3.
a. Able to discourse or discuss matters; ready of tongue or speech. Also const. of. Obs.
c1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 534 Loo how goodely spake thys knyghte..I..fonde him so tretable Ryght wonder skylful and resonable. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 25 He was..resonabel of speche, and wel i-lettred. c1400Rom. Rose 2214 Wherfore be..Goodly of word, and resonable Bothe to lesse and eek to mar.
†b. Of language: Marked by reasoning. Obs.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 11 After so noble spekers þat sownede at þe beste; and of hem faire facounde and resonable speche, folowed and streynede all her lyf tyme. 1390Gower Conf. III. 136 Rethorique the science Appropred to the reverence Of wordes that ben resonable.
4. a. Agreeable to reason; not irrational, absurd or ridiculous.
a1300Cursor M. 26767 Stedfast and stabil Sal scrift be, þat es resonabil, And noght als neus þat er tan. c1340Hampole Prose Tr. 24 Charite..lith both ine loue of God and of thyne evyne cristene, and þere fore itt is resounable that he that hath cherite vse both. 1390Gower Conf. III. 210 Pite..Makth that the god is merciable, If ther be cause resonable. 1411Rolls of Parlt. III. 650/2 Atte such resonable tyme as it likyth the forsaid Lord..to assigne. 1494Fabyan Chron. vi. clxxxv. 184 This pylgryme..layde for hym many resonable excuses, as well for his age as otherwyse. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 1 Uppon a reasnable vew of the matter. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 136 It is a quarrell iust and reasonable, To be reueng'd on him that kill'd my Husband. 1655Stanley Hist. Philos. iii. (1701) 78/1 That God, not chance, made the World and all Creatures, is demonstrable from the reasonable disposition of their parts. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 154 Something which it was much more reasonable to worship. 1796Bp. Watson Apol. Bible 232 So far from this genealogy being a solemn truth, it is not even a reasonable lie. 1858Greener Gunnery 359 The reasonable assumption would be that this bullet would range a greater distance if projected at the same velocity. 1877E. R. Conder Bas. Faith i. 3 The conviction would be reasonable, for it would be based upon universal experience.
†b. That may reasonably be used. Obs.—1
1465–6Act 5 Edw. IV in Bolton Stat. Irel. (1621) 37 The Bowes [to be] of Ewe, Wych-hassell, Ashe, Awburne, or any other reasonable tree.
5. Not going beyond the limit assigned by reason; not extravagant or excessive; moderate.
a. of requests, desires, wishes, expectations, etc.
a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 1499 This prayer was but resonable, Therefor god held it ferme and stable. c1399Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 5 Axe of thi God, so schalt thou noght be werned Of no reqwest, which is resonable. 1561Winȝet Cert. Tractates Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 4 Our ressonable desyris being knawin. 1581J. Hamilton in Cath. Tract. (S.T.S.) 76 This demand appeiret ressonabill to sum, that thay could not reiect the same. 1832H. Martineau Life in Wilds iv. 55 The reasonable wishes of the whole people. 1882A. W. Ward Dickens iv. 91 He never had a reasonable want which he could not and did not satisfy.
b. of amount, size, number, etc., or of things in respect of these properties.
13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 523 What resonabele hyre be naȝt be runne, I yow pay in dede and þoȝte. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 200 Men and wymmen schulden lyven in..resonable abstynence of mete. 1477Rolls of Parlt. VI. 178/2 Suche resonable costs and expenses, as shall happen to be done. 1504Bury Wills (Camden) 98, I wyll that J. P. shall by my house..for xl li...to be payd in resonabyll yeerys as he can agre wt myn executors. 1573Tusser Husb. (1878) 20 Rent corne to be paid, for a reasnable rent. 1632Lithgow Trav. vi. 256 Nothing will sinke into it, of any reasonable weight. 1653Walton Angler ii. 41, I long to be doing; no reasonable hedge or ditch shall hold me. 1755Colman & Thornton Connoisseur No. 68 ⁋9 The old lady had the hardiness to squint at the sum total, and declared ‘it was pretty reasonable, considering’. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 206 Doing a great service on reasonable terms to the Church of which he was a member. 1895Bookman Oct. 25/2 A straightforward, readable narrative in a very reasonable compass.
c. Moderate in price; inexpensive.
1667Collins in Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men (1841) II. 471 Mr. Stephens..will undertake it when paper is more reasonable. 1805W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) I. 148 This part of Paris is tranquil and reasonable. 1885Field 3 Oct. 502/2 Feeding materials..are unusually reasonable just now.
†d. Law. reasonable aid: (see quot.). Obs.
1607Cowell Interpr., Reasonable ayde, is a duty that the Lord of the Fee claimeth holding by Knights seruice or in soccage to marie his daughter, or to make his sonne Knight.
6. a. Of such an amount, size, number, etc., as is judged to be appropriate or suitable to the circumstances or purpose.
1436E.E. Wills (1882) 104 Beyng yn Resonable helth of body. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §62 If the beaste be fatte, and any reasonable meate vpon hym. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 251 We trust surely, that moste men..wil be content for reasonable [L. tolerabilis] wages rather to followe oure campe, than theirs. 1614Latham Falconry (1633) 116 Put it into a pipkin or posnet with some reasonable store of faire water. 1755Franklin Autobiog. Wks. 1887 I. 252 All..forage..is to be taken for the use of the army and a reasonable price paid for the same. 1784Cowper Task ii. 623 A man o' the town dines late, but soon enough, With reasonable forecast and dispatch, To ensure a side-box station at half-price. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 656 They were determined to prosecute..unless a reasonable sum were forthcoming, and..by a reasonable sum was meant seven thousand pounds.
†b. Of a fair, average, or considerable amount, size, etc. Obs. (Freq. c 1590–1650.)
1588Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 317 There are many prouinces..that euery one of them is as bigge as a reasonable kingdome. Ibid. 337 They saw two reasonable riuers, vppon whose bankes there were many vines. 1597Morley Introd. Mus. 69, I haue a Brother..a reasonable musition for singing. 1612Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. (1653) 9 My self have had reasonable experience in piercing wounds. 1653Greaves Seraglio 154 A Customer, who receiveth custom of the buyers and sellers of slaves, which amounteth to a reasonable sum in a year, for the toll is very great. 1726Swift Gulliver i. vi, A barrel of their liquor a reasonable draught.
†7. Proportionate. Also const. to. Obs. rare.
c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. x. (1885) 132 Also moche salte as by thair coniecture ys ressnable to the nombre off þe men, women, and childeren. 1546Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 51 The said Dame Marioun to haue ane ressonable terce of Eglintoun. 1766Blackstone Comm. II. 492 The shares of the wife and children was called their reasonable parts, and the writ de rationabili parte bonorum was given to recover it.
8. Comb., as reasonable-bladed, reasonable-minded, reasonable-sized adjs.
1764Museum Rust. III. 373 You cannot possibly hurt the gut,..which no reasonable-bladed pen-knife can touch. 1895Outing (U.S.) XXVII. 226/2 Enough for any reasonable minded person. 1965E. Jutikkala in Glass & Eversley Population in Hist. xxiii. 554 The only reasonable-sized city in Finland, Turku,..must be discussed separately from the surrounding province.
B. adv. Reasonably.
a. With adjs. and advbs.
1470–85Malory Arthur x. lxxvi, I helde hym resonable hote though ye had not holpen me. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccclvi. 574 The first day the wynde was reasonable good for them. 1583T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 16 b, The minister..made a reasonable long exhortation. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 185 The common people began to like reasonable well of the Turks. 1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 66 There is also a reasonable handsome Buzzar. 1835–40Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 180 Reasonable well, I give you thanks, sir, said he.
b. With verbs. rare—1.
c1550Disc. Common Weal Eng. (1893) 326 Thincke youe that..he did not speake..reasonable.
C. absol. as n.
†a. A reasonable being. Obs.
c1400Rom. Rose 6760 In al this caas and in semblables If that ther ben mo resonables He may begge as I telle you here. 1620T. Granger Div. Logike i. xxvi. 57 A mixt action in reasonables is voluntarie, because there is some consent of will, or self-motion. 1633Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. §24 That woeful hostility, which is exercised betwixt us reasonables.
b. A reasonable person. rare—1.
a1814Savoyard i. i. in New Brit. Theatre IV. 360 What, fool, are you one of the reasonables too? |