▪ I. reckon, v.
(ˈrɛk(ə)n)
Forms: α. 1 -recenian, 3–4 rekeni, 4–5 rekeny; 3–4 rekene, 4–6 reken, (4 recen), rekin, (4 -ine), 5–6 rekyn; 4 rekoun, 5–6 rekon, recon(e, 6 rekan-, Sc. reakn-, 7 (9 dial.) reacon. β. 3 rikeni(e)n, 3–4 rikenen, 4 rikene, ryken(e, 5 riken; 9 dial. ricken, -on. γ. 3 reccnenn, 4–5 rekne(n, 5 -nyn; 4–5 rekken(e, 4–6 rekkin, (6 Sc. -ine), reckin, 6 recken, 6– reckon. δ. 4 raken, -ine; Sc. 5 rakyn, 6 -in, racken, -in, rakkin, 7 raikn-; dial. 9 rackan, -en, -on, rakkon.
[OE. (ᵹe)recenian (found only once) = OFris. rek(e)nia, MLG. and MDu. rekenen, OHG. rechenôn, -inôn (MHG. rechenen, G. rechnen):—OTeut. *rekenôjan, perh. f. *reken- reken a. and ultimately from the root rek- found in OE. reccan recche. The Scand. forms, late ON. reikna, Norw. rekna, Sw. räkna, Da. regne, are early adoptions from LG.]
I. trans.
† 1. a. To enumerate serially or separately; to name or mention one after another or in due order; to go over or through (a series) in this manner. Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 11217 He biginneþþ Cristess kinn To reccnenn & to rimenn Att Abraham, & reccneþþ aȝȝ Dunnwarrd fra mann to manne. a 1225 Ancr. R. 210 Alle sunnen sunderliche, bi hore owune nomeliche nomen, ne muhte no mon rikenen. a 1300 Cursor M. 18992 He tald þam mani takens sere, þat es na nede all recken here. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. i. 22 Nempne hem I thinke, And rekne hem bi resoun, reherce thow hem after. c 1470 Golagros & Gaw. 743 Now wil I rekkin the renkis of the Round Tabill. 1533 Gau Richt Vay 3 Thay reknit mony foul and abhominabil sinnis..the quhilk mony guyd men..kneu neuer of befor. |
b. So with up, rarely over.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 2 Clannesse who-so kyndly cowþe comende, & rekken vp alle þe resounz þat ho by riȝt askez. c 1450 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 228 Pite for to here the people complayne, And riken up the ragmanne of the hole rowte. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 336 [He] reckoneth vpp by name diuerse Gentlemen, with whome he was in fauour. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 105, I shall reckon up only such authors whose records..are lost and gone. 1694 W. Wotton Anc. & Mod. Learn. (1697) 410 France could reckon up Des Cartes, Mersennus, Fermat, and Gassendi. 1846 H. W. Torrens Rem. Milit. Hist. 355 In 1585, a pamphlet was addressed to..[the] Mayor of London, reckoning over the advantages of a marching watch for the city. 1884 tr. Lotze's Metaph. 477 It would be mere trifling to reckon up reactions of a third and fourth order. |
† c. To recount, relate, narrate, tell. Obs.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Exod. 525 (Gr.) Run bið ᵹerecenod, ræd forð gæð. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3179 Sche..rapli gan away renne, to reken þe soþe. a 1375 Joseph Arim. 76 Þat tyme..þis reson bi-gon þat I schal now rikenen. a 1400–50 Alexander 4124 Þen ferd þai furth..Euyn to þe heued of Eumaure, as I first rekend. 1530 Palsgr. 684/1, I wyll reken all the mater to hym as it vas. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 45 To reckon to you since, how he came into the country here,..why should I clog myself? |
† d. To repeat, recite, utter. Obs. rare.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 4931 The renke..rekind þir wordis: ‘Haile Alexander’. 1533 Gau Richt Vay 31 That is noth aneucht that ony reid the creid or rekin ye articulis contenit in it x or xii timis apone ye day. 1621 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 174 Sum mumlit Auies, sum raknit [1567 craknit] Creidis. |
† e. To mention; to allege. Obs. rare.
| 1513 Douglas æneis vi. ix. 143 Quhat suld I rekin [L. quid memorem] thai peple of Thessaly, That Lapithas ar hait..? 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 352/2 Belieue me not if any man can reken a place where euer he founde it otherwyse. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. x. 15 Cast into sundry shapes by wondrous skill, That like on earth no where I recken may. |
2. a. To count, so as to ascertain the number or amount of; to ascertain or arrive at (a number, quantity, etc.) by counting or calculating; to compute. Also with out.
Now usually implying some process of calculation, as distinguished from the mere counting of individual things.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 214 Þe ȝiscare..makeð þerinne figures of augrim, ase þeos rikenares doð þet habbeð muchel uorto rikenen. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 2484 Swa may we ay rekken and rede An hondreth syns agayne a gude dede. c 1386 Chaucer Shipman's T. 216 How longe tyme wol ye rekene and caste Youre sommes and youre bookes and youre thynges? ? a 1400 Arthur 410 Fowre hundred þowsand An hunderd and foure & twenty,—Thus herawdes dude ham rekeny. 1530 Palsgr. 684/1, I shall reken it syxe tymes by aulgorisme, or you can caste it ones by counters. 1602 Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 121 O deere Ophelia, I am ill at these Numbers; I haue not Art to reckon my grones. 1633 T. Adams Exp. 2 Peter iii. 10. 1307 A woman reckons out her nine moneths, and can guesse neare to the day of her comming. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 36 They Divine with Beans, which they put together without reckoning them. 1833 H. Martineau Brooke Farm iv. 46 But I can't reckon it; will you?—Eleven pounds and sixpence, is it? 1845 Lever The O'Donoughoe xliv. (1858) 324 Mark..pointed straight out to sea, where now seven sail could be reckoned. |
b. With subordinate clause as obj.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 281 Whan I beginne To rekne with miself withinne How many yeres ben agon [etc.]. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xix. 213 Now may men wel rekene, how moche that it amountethe. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 289 He is now looking on your crownes..to recken if he haue his whole some or no. 1667 J. Flavel Saint Indeed (1754) 44 Antigonus over-heard his soldiers reckoning how many their enemies were. |
c. To count or calculate from; to calculate or keep count of, in relation to some starting-point or base. Also with over.
| 1540 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. xii. 239 The same half yere accompted and reconned fromme Michaelmas last paste. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxviii. 240 Death is reckoned from the Condemnation of Adam. 1774 A. Adams in Fam. Lett. (1876) 24, I shall reckon over every week as they pass, and rejoice at every Saturday evening. 1868 Lockyer Elem. Astron. vii. §43 (1879) 264 Declination is reckoned N. or S. of the plane of the earth's equator. |
† d. To count out, to pay. Also with out. Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 3540 Illc mann shollde cumenn ham..Forr þær to reccnenn till þe King An peninng for himm sellfenn. Ibid. 3561. 1713 Steele Guard. No. 17 ¶7 There is an honest Man..who has often said he would marry her with Two Hundred Pounds. The Knight ordered his Man to reckon out that Sum. |
e. To count up; also, to sum up, to estimate the character of (a person).
| 1836 Marryat Japhet viii, To reckon up their means—that is, to count the money which they may have in their pockets. 1852 Dickens Bleak Ho. liv, The deceased Mr. Tulkinghorn employed me to reckon up her Ladyship—if you'll excuse my making use of the term we commonly employ—and I reckoned her up, so far, completely. |
3. a. To include in a (or the) reckoning; hence, to place or class. Const. among(st), for, in, with preps.; in adv.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 171 Þe þridde Leo..is nouȝt i-rekened in þe ordre of bisshopes. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xviii. 186 Also these Yles of Ynde..beth noght reckned in the Climates. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 248 b, Fyrst the matyns..is rekened for one of the vij. 1583 Leg. Bp. St. Androis 613 Gude Robert Melwene..I shuld not racken in with thea. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 231 The number of souldiers..amount to eight thousand, not reckoning any man of sort, nor Mariners. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 40 ¶4 There is also another Particular, which may be reckoned among the Blemishes..of our English Tragedy. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 230 In this class we may reckon the Georgians, Circassians, and Mingrelians. 1868 Hawthorne Amer. Note-bks. (1879) I. 52 Among other languages spoken hereabouts must be reckoned the wild Irish. |
b. To accept or state as a total.
| 1563 J. Man Musculus' Commonpl. 273 b, Wherein he reconneth but two sacramentes only, giuen by the Lorde himselfe. 1671 J. Webster Metallogr. vii. 115 He reckons four of a silver colour, that hold no metal, nor yield any fire. 1879 S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Pal. iii. 52 Lepsius reckons about sixty, including some very small ones. |
4. † a. To calculate, work out, decide the nature or value of. Obs. rare.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1275 Thane salle we rekkene fulle rathe, whatt ryghte that he claymes. a 1400–50 Alexander 41 He was wyse enoȝe wirdis to reken, When he þe heuyn beheld, of ledes opon lyfe. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. viii. 9 War ȝo{supr} richt reknit to þe croun It my{supt} be laid with litill menss. |
† b. To estimate, value. Obs.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon li. 173, I wold reken all the sorow that I haue enduryd at no thynge. 1601 Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 90, I haue seene her weare it, and she reckon'd it At her liues rate. 1642 Rogers Naaman 136 Never harkening what God will answer..but reckoning her worke for a price. 1667 Pepys Diary (1879) IV. 360 The world sees it, and reckons my interest accordingly. |
† c. To take into consideration, to consider. Obs. rare.
| 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage v. viii. (1614) 486 If a man doe any thing worth reckoning, presently his Captaine imparteth this honour to him. 1686 Parr Life Usher 94 Which [treatises] being not set down in my Lord Primates own Words..cannot be reckoned, being much enlarged by the Dr., as himself confesseth. |
5. a. To consider, judge, or estimate by, or as the result of, calculation. (Const. as in b.)
| 1555 Eden Decades 351 We sette owre course east,..rekenynge owre selues .xxxvi. leaques from the coast of Guinea. 1632 Lithgow Trav. x. 456 [This] I reckon to be foure hundred and fifty English miles. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 343 They reckon that this..Work will be finish'd in about fifty Years. 1781 Cowper Let. 4 Oct., I reckon my volume will consist of about eight thousand lines. 1879 S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Pal. xiv. 315 We reckoned the distance about sixteen miles and back. |
b. To set down, to hold, consider, or regard, as being of a specified character, importance or value, or (rarely) as being in a certain condition. Const. for, as, to be, or with appositive complement.
| 1340 Ayenb. 214 Al þane time þet þou ne þengst naht a god, þou hise sselt rekeni uor naȝt. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2334 To rekkene theis Romaynes recreaunt and ȝoldene. c 1450 Sc. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4360 Þis I rekyn bot schort aray. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon vii. 16, I reken our wyage to be a daungerous passage. 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iii. 192 He reckeneth repentance and fayth as two diuerse thinges. 1603 Owen Pembrokeshire (1891) 244 This is reconned for a strange and rare thinge. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 39 They reckon Women with big black Eyes, and red Cheeks, to be the greatest Beauties. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 422 ¶6 Fortius would have been reckoned a Wit, if there had never been a Fool in the World. 1748 H. Walpole Let. 18 May, The Princess of Wales has got a confirmed jaundice, but they reckon her much better. 1764 Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) IV. 354, I reckon for nothing the researches of a Coyer. 1833 L. Ritchie Wand. by Loire 117 Here..we reckon the women to be among the prettiest in France. c 1850 Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 181 He was reckoned one of the richest merchants in the city. 1870 Yeats Nat. Hist. Comm. 108 Quite a fourth of the soil is reckoned as unproductive. |
c. With inf. To regard as doing something.
| 1513 More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 760 Yee see their youth, of which I rekon the onely suretie to rest in your concord. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet in Aliments, etc. i. 249 It is reckoned to increase milk. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. i. 5, I believe I'm reckoned to bring in about the finest droves of niggers that is brought in. |
d. colloq. To rate highly, to esteem. Usu. in negative phrases.
| 1957 Evening News 12 Nov. 6/4 If..an East Ender wants to say that he does not consider the character of another to be worth while he says ‘I don't reckon him’. 1977 Sunday Times 52/3, I don't reckon the chances of Young Scientists of the Year..against Just William. |
6. a. To consider, think, suppose, be of opinion, etc., that. Also with omission of that. Now usu. colloq., esp. in the U.S. (formerly chiefly in southern States).
| 1513 More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 803 Men woulde not recon that hee coulde haue right to the realme. 1530 Wriothesley Chron. (1875) I. 16 Some recken he killed himselfe with purgations. 1611 Bible Isa. xxxviii. 13, I reckoned till morning, that as a Lyon so will hee breake all my bones. 1668 Glanvill Plus Ultra Pref., Whether his reply be publique or not, I reckon he will blow the dust upon me. 1712 Swift Jrnl. to Stella xlviii, I reckon the queen will go to Windsor in three..weeks. 1796 Burney Mem. Metastasio II. 78, I reckon that I shall have a humpback. 1810 M. van H. Dwight Jrnl. 9 Nov. in Journey to Ohio in 1810 (1912) 37 The people here talk curiously, they all reckon instead of expect. 1860 Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. v, ‘A reckon it's a bargain’, said Harry. 1863 Congress. Globe 7 Feb. 783/3 If you can take this property by compact, I reckon you cannot take it against the consent of the owners. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 443, I reckon, said Socrates, that no one..could accuse me of idle talking. 1893 H. A. Shands Some Peculiarities of Speech in Mississippi 53 Reckon,..this word is almost always used in the ordinary conversation of our best educated people for think or suppose, and corresponds to a like use of guess in the Northern States. 1900 Cosmopolitan Feb. 389/1 She met Sam on the way out, and says she: ‘Sam, what do you reckon? My quilt took the premium.’ 1963 Social Problems Spring 367/1, I reckon it'll always be lucky. 1977 I. Shaw Beggarman, Thief iii. ii. 193, I don't reckon I've had a fare there for more than ten years. |
b. I reckon, used parenthetically or finally.
Formerly in literary Eng. use; still common in Eng. dialects, and current in the southern States of America in place of the northern I guess.
| 1603 Sir R. Cecil in Harington Nugæ Ant. (1804) I. 345 He is, I reckon, no wise man that looketh this waye to heaven. 1748 Richardson Clarissa Wks. 1883 VII. 144, I shall have a good deal of trouble, I reckon,..to be decent on the expected occasion. 1776 Foote Capuchin i. Wks. 1799 II. 389 All your family..come over to be polish'd, I reckon. 1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. vii. 107 Neither of us, I reckon, has ever had much to do with [etc.]. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. iv. xx, You would just as soon save your lives, I reckon. |
† 7. To account, assign, or attribute to (a person or thing). Obs. (In quots. only pass.)
| 1526 Tindale Rom. iv. 9 We saye verely how that fayth was rekened to Abraham for rightewesnes. 1641 J. Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 142 The Ishmaelites..are reckoned unto Hagar, not unto Abraham; and therefore called Hagareans. 1688 Collier Several Disc. (1725) 285 The last Sermon de Sanctis..is mistakenly reckon'd to this Father. 1719 Waterland Vind. Christ's Div. 25 As if the Ray were not to be reckon'd to the Sun, as included in it. |
II. intr.
† 8. a. To place or name things in order. Obs. rare.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 312/440 Of þe Mone, Monen-day [is named], ȝif ȝe wel rikeni konne. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 122 After Virgo to reknen evene Libra sit in the nombre of sevene. c 1470 Golagros & Gaw. 403 He is the riallest roy..Of all the rentaris to ryme or rekin on raw. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 708 Mony mo than I will heir report, To reckin heir becaus the tyme is schort. |
† b. To speak or discourse of something. Obs.—1
| a 1400–50 Alexander 150 Slik care kindils in his curte..þat it ware tere any tonge of þar tene to reken. |
† c. to reckon right: to judge correctly, to take a correct view of things. Obs.
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 3032 Ther was a womman eke, that hight Shame, that, who can reken right, Trespasse was hir fadir name. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 1308, I traist, gif I can reckon richt, Scho schaips to ludge with him all nicht. 1556 Lauder Tractate 63 Nothing, at all,—to rekin rycht,—Different, in-to Goddis sycht. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 71 This to attain, whether Heav'n move or Earth, Imports not, if thou reck'n right. |
9. To count, to make a calculation; to cast up an account or sum.
to reckon without one's host: see host n.2 2 b.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9228 Four thusand yeir and sex hundreth, Qua reckens right to tell es eth. c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 436 Thogh Argus the noble covnter Sete to rekene..Yet shulde he fayle to rekene evene The wondres me mette. 1530 Palsgr. 684/1, I holde you a grote you have reckened false. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iv. i. 241 Wee haue French Quarrels enow, if you could tell how to reckon. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. ix. 74 The North Point of the Nocturnal is the first Point you reckon from,..and so reckon forward North and by East. 1697 Potter Antiq. Greece i. i. (1715) 3 Meursius reckons to the number of forty Plantations peopled by Athenians. |
† 10. a. To render or give an account (of one's conduct, etc., or for something received). Obs.
| 12.. Prayer to Our Lady 44 in O.E. Misc. 193 Hwan ich hier-of rekeni schal, wel sore me mei drede. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 5984 Fadirs and modirs sal rekken þat tyde, Of þair sons and þair doghtirs unchastide. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 96 Ȝe schule abygge it bothe..At oo ȝeris ende whan ȝe reken schul. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 89 We muste haue as they had and worse for we haue receyued more to reken for. 1575–85 Abp. Sandys Serm. xx. 345 Christ is comming in the cloudes, All fleshe shall rise and recken. |
† b. To account for, explain. Obs.—1
| 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 153 We can give no reason why a Fool should rise more Mathematically from a seat, than the wisest man can fully reckon for. |
11. a. To go over or settle accounts (in lit. or fig. sense) with one, or together.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6575 Bi þe fey ich owe to god, icholle rekeni mitte. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 425 Þis lord wole rikene wiþ þes seruauntis fully. c 1400 Melayne 1517 That there no sarazene solde come owte, To þay had rekkenede with þat rowte. c 1470 Henry Wallace ix. 1154 Erar he wald bid chalans off his king, Than with Wallace to rakyn for sic a thing. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Communion, Euery Parishioner shal reken with his Person, Vicare, or Curate. 1572 Huloet, To recken together, or to come to reckening, conferre rationes. 1605 Shakes. Macb. v. vii. 108 We shall not spend a large expence of time, Before we reckon with your seuerall loues. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 606 God..Will reckon with us roundly for the abuse. 1825 Scott Talism. ix, The blame rests not with thee, but with those with whom..I hope to reckon roundly. |
b. to reckon with: to take into account or consideration; to be prepared for.
| 1885 Manch. Exam. 16 June 4/6 A Ministerial crisis..is always a contingency to be reckoned with. 1896 W. H. Hutton Phil. Augustus vi. 182 It might seem..as if the Jews were the only dissenters with whom the king and the church had to reckon. 1902 Kipling Five Nations (1903) 63 We reckon not with those Whom the mere Fates ordain. 1945 T. S. Eliot What is a Classic? 8 We may say confidently that it [sc. the definition] must be one which will expressly reckon with him. |
12. a. To calculate, design, or expect to do something. Now only dial.
| c 1550 Bale K. Johan (Camden) 44 The Cystean monkes are in soche perplexyte That owt of Englond they reken all to flee. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 737 They departed to..Saint Malo..where they reckned to haue taken shippyng. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 160 He neither defendeth himselfe, nor intreatethe for mercie, as reckoning straight to die. 1770 Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 7 July, I reckon to go next week to Ashbourne. 1872 Hartley Yorksh. Ditt. Ser. ii. 44 Ov a Thursday aw reckon to brew. |
b. To look for something. rare.
| 1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain iii. v. 330 You may have more to bear than you reckon for, when you find yourself with men of rude minds and vulgar manners. |
13. a. Const. of: To account or think (much, etc.) of; to take account of, think highly of, approve of. Now rare exc. dial.
| 1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 47 Traitours..were most reckoned of in Court. 1601 Sir W. Cornwallis Disc. Seneca (1631) 40 Wee reckon of Physitians because the end of them is health. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Scarlet Gown 109 He is not much reckoned of in the Court, but is reuerenced in the sacred Colledge. 1803 tr. P. Le Brun's Mons. Botte II. 208 He reckoned a good deal of the pleasures of the table. 1878 Cumb. Gloss. (E.D.S.) 117. |
† b. To regard in a certain light. Obs. rare.
| 1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 95 He was to be reckned of for an inurious calumniator. 1625 Bp. R. Montagu App. Cæsar 151 So he was esteemed and held..during life, and so is he reckoned of by his followers at this day. |
† c. To reck of, take heed of. Obs. rare.
| 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea (1847) 115 They reckon not of a musket shot, a sword pierceth not their skinne. 1634 Malory's Arthur ii. xxx, Like as it had beene a man..which reckoned not of himselfe. |
14. To count, depend, or rely on or upon.
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. v. 173 No man could reckon vpon felicity so long as he liued. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. 205 His reward would be much less than he reckons upon. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) I. p. lxx, I reckon on the indulgence of the really intelligent. 1836 Backwoods of Canada 22, I was reckoning much on seeing the falls of Montmorenci. 1874 Green Short Hist. ii. §4. 74 He could reckon on no support within England itself. |
15. a. To number, amount to.
| 1877 C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. xxx. 301 He marched [them] into the camp before his own troop, which did not reckon nearly so many. |
b. To count, have a place or value.
| 1879 M{supc}Carthy Own Times II. xxii. 159 Such discretion..would in the long run reckon to his credit and his advantage. 1898 Besant Orange Girl i. i, After the fashion..of the sailors, with whom strength of arm reckons before style. |
Hence as n., an act of consideration; a ‘think’ (colloq.). Also ˈreckonable a., capable of being reckoned; admissible for the purposes of reckoning; reckonaˈbility, the quality of being reckonable; ˈreckoned ppl. a.
| 1658 Cromwell Sp. 25 Jan. in Carlyle, A thing far from reckonable as a suggestion to any ill end. 1812 Woodhouse Astron. xxxviii. (1823) 756 The difference of actual or absolute time, which depends on the reckoned time at each place of observation. 1859 Bright in Times 18 Aug. 9/6 [The Government] having no reckonable majority in the House of Commons. 1905 Daily Chron. 21 July 4/4 Its only drawback is that it is called ‘Hardy's country’ by those fiction-enthusiasts who now form so reckonable a section of Weymouth guests. 1949 F. Sargeson I saw in my Dream vii. 57 He reckons he's going to... Then he'd better go and have another reckon, the girl said. 1967 Encycl. Philos. VII. 94/1 (heading) Reckonability. 1971 Daily Tel. 15 Sept. 6/8 This means that for every {pstlg}1,000 of reckonable earnings the pension offered must amount to at least {pstlg}10 for each year of service. 1973 Times 29 Nov. 16/3 There were bound to be practical difficulties and problems of definition in reopening at this late stage the question of reckonable service of teachers who joined the profession immediately after the war. |
▪ II. reckon(-crook)
var. rackan-crook).