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).
| c 1374 Chaucer 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. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 64 Or lang tyme be gane, thare sall men that ar callit resonable do mare bestly dedis. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) Prol. 2 Every creature resonable unto whome god hathe gyuen mynde and understandynge. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 251 Man, a reasonable creature whose dignity doth come so neere the Angels. 1650 Jer. Taylor Holy Living & Dying (1870) 7 Let your employment be such as may become a reasonable person. 1725 Watts Logic iii. ii. §5 If every Creature be reasonable, every Brute is reasonable. 1791 Burke App. Whigs Wks. 1826 VI. 218 For man is by nature reasonable. |
b. of the soul or intellectual powers.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 378 Thilke intelligence In mannys soule resonable Hath schape to be perdurable. c 1425 Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 45 In his slepe he was raueshid from his resonable wyttys. 1538 Starkey England i. ii. 40 Some sayd that man was no thyng els but hys resonabul soule. 1595 Shakes. John iii. iv. 54 My reasonable part produces reason How I may be deliuer'd of these woes. 1648 Shorter Catech. §22 Christ..became man by taking to Himself a true body and reasonable soul. 1736 Chandler Hist. Persec. Introd. 2 Every Man is bound..to make the best use he can of his reasonable powers. 1838–9 Hallam Hist. Lit. II. ii. iii. §6. 102 The reasonable soul of mankind is not numerically one. |
| fig. 1610 Shakes. 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. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's Prol. 441 Sith a man is moore resonable Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 10 He is able to satisfi ani reasnable natural philosopher in that point. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 39 Reasonable and judicious Readers will not dislike the same digression. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. 46 To give any reasonable Man an answer to any useful Question in the Art of Gunnery. 1751 Smollett Per. Pic. xxxix, Those polite, candid, reasonable watermen demanded a Louis d'or for that service. 1769 Junius Lett. i. 10 We are governed by counsels from which a reasonable man can expect no remedy but poison. 1802 Gouv. Morris in Sparks Life & Writ. (1832) III. 369 If mankind were reasonable they would want no government. 1883 A. K. Green (Mrs. Rohlfs) Hand & Ring iii, ‘Ferris is a reasonable man’, said the coroner. |
b. Requiring the use of reason.
nonce-use.
| 1611 Shakes. 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.| c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 534 Loo how goodely spake thys knyghte..I..fonde him so tretable Ryght wonder skylful and resonable. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 25 He was..resonabel of speche, and wel i-lettred. c 1400 Rom. Rose 2214 Wherfore be..Goodly of word, and resonable Bothe to lesse and eek to mar. |
† b. Of language: Marked by reasoning.
Obs.| 1387 Trevisa 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. 1390 Gower 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.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 26767 Stedfast and stabil Sal scrift be, þat es resonabil, And noght als neus þat er tan. c 1340 Hampole 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. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 210 Pite..Makth that the god is merciable, If ther be cause resonable. 1411 Rolls of Parlt. III. 650/2 Atte such resonable tyme as it likyth the forsaid Lord..to assigne. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vi. clxxxv. 184 This pylgryme..layde for hym many resonable excuses, as well for his age as otherwyse. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 1 Uppon a reasnable vew of the matter. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 136 It is a quarrell iust and reasonable, To be reueng'd on him that kill'd my Husband. 1655 Stanley 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. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 154 Something which it was much more reasonable to worship. 1796 Bp. Watson Apol. Bible 232 So far from this genealogy being a solemn truth, it is not even a reasonable lie. 1858 Greener Gunnery 359 The reasonable assumption would be that this bullet would range a greater distance if projected at the same velocity. 1877 E. 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| 1465–6 Act 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.
| ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 1499 This prayer was but resonable, Therefor god held it ferme and stable. c 1399 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 5 Axe of thi God, so schalt thou noght be werned Of no reqwest, which is resonable. 1561 Winȝet Cert. Tractates Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 4 Our ressonable desyris being knawin. 1581 J. Hamilton in Cath. Tract. (S.T.S.) 76 This demand appeiret ressonabill to sum, that thay could not reiect the same. 1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds iv. 55 The reasonable wishes of the whole people. 1882 A. 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. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 200 Men and wymmen schulden lyven in..resonable abstynence of mete. 1477 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 178/2 Suche resonable costs and expenses, as shall happen to be done. 1504 Bury 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 w{supt} myn executo{supr}s. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 20 Rent corne to be paid, for a reasnable rent. 1632 Lithgow Trav. vi. 256 Nothing will sinke into it, of any reasonable weight. 1653 Walton Angler ii. 41, I long to be doing; no reasonable hedge or ditch shall hold me. 1755 Colman & Thornton Connoisseur No. 68 ¶9 The old lady had the hardiness to squint at the sum total, and declared ‘it was pretty reasonable, considering’. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 206 Doing a great service on reasonable terms to the Church of which he was a member. 1895 Bookman Oct. 25/2 A straightforward, readable narrative in a very reasonable compass. |
c. Moderate in price; inexpensive.
| 1667 Collins in Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men (1841) II. 471 Mr. Stephens..will undertake it when paper is more reasonable. 1805 W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) I. 148 This part of Paris is tranquil and reasonable. 1885 Field 3 Oct. 502/2 Feeding materials..are unusually reasonable just now. |
† d. Law.
reasonable aid: (see
quot.).
Obs.| 1607 Cowell 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.
| 1436 E.E. Wills (1882) 104 Beyng yn Resonable helth of body. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §62 If the beaste be fatte, and any reasonable meate vpon hym. 1560 J. 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. 1614 Latham Falconry (1633) 116 Put it into a pipkin or posnet with some reasonable store of faire water. 1755 Franklin 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. 1784 Cowper 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. 1849 Macaulay 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.)
| 1588 Parke 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. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 69, I haue a Brother..a reasonable musition for singing. 1612 Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. (1653) 9 My self have had reasonable experience in piercing wounds. 1653 Greaves 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. 1726 Swift Gulliver i. vi, A barrel of their liquor a reasonable draught. |
† 7. Proportionate. Also
const. to.
Obs. rare.
| c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. x. (1885) 132 Also moche salte as by thair coniecture ys ressnable to the nombre off þe men, women, and childeren. 1546 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 51 The said Dame Marioun to haue ane ressonable terce of Eglintoun. 1766 Blackstone 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.| 1764 Museum Rust. III. 373 You cannot possibly hurt the gut,..which no reasonable-bladed pen-knife can touch. 1895 Outing (U.S.) XXVII. 226/2 Enough for any reasonable minded person. 1965 E. 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.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. lxxvi, I helde hym resonable hote though ye had not holpen me. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccclvi. 574 The first day the wynde was reasonable good for them. 1583 T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 16 b, The minister..made a reasonable long exhortation. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 185 The common people began to like reasonable well of the Turks. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 66 There is also a reasonable handsome Buzzar. 1835–40 Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 180 Reasonable well, I give you thanks, sir, said he. |
b. With verbs.
rare—1.
| c 1550 Disc. Common Weal Eng. (1893) 326 Thincke youe that..he did not speake..reasonable. |
C. absol. as n. † a. A reasonable being.
Obs.| c 1400 Rom. Rose 6760 In al this caas and in semblables If that ther ben mo resonables He may begge as I telle you here. 1620 T. Granger Div. Logike i. xxvi. 57 A mixt action in reasonables is voluntarie, because there is some consent of will, or self-motion. 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. §24 That woeful hostility, which is exercised betwixt us reasonables. |
b. A reasonable person.
rare—1.
| a 1814 Savoyard i. i. in New Brit. Theatre IV. 360 What, fool, are you one of the reasonables too? |