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rational

 [rash-uh-nl, rash-nl]   Origin

ra·tion·al

   [rash-uh-nl, rash-nl]
adjective
1.
agreeable to reason; reasonable; sensible: a rational plan for economic development.
2.
having or exercising reason, sound judgment, or good sense: a calm and rational negotiator.
3.
being in or characterized by full possession of one's reason; sane; lucid: The patient appeared perfectly rational.
4.
endowed with the faculty of reason: rational beings.
5.
of, pertaining to, or constituting reasoning powers: the rational faculty.
EXPAND
6.
proceeding or derived from reason or based on reasoning: a rational explanation.
7.
Mathematics.
a.
capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two integers.
b.
(of a function) capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two polynomials.
8.
Classical Prosody. capable of measurement in terms of the metrical unit or mora.
COLLAPSE
noun
9.
Mathematics. rational number.

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Rational is always a great word to know.
So is equation. Does it mean:
pertaining to the mathematical prerequisites for the study of calculus, as algebra, analytical geometry, and trigonometry
an expression or a proposition, often algebraic, asserting the equality of two quantities
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English racional < Latin ratiōnālis, equivalent to ratiōn- (stem of ratiō) reason + -ālis -al1

Related forms
ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
ra·tion·al·ness, noun
an·ti·ra·tion·al, adjective
an·ti·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
hy·per·ra·tion·al, adjective
EXPAND
hy·per·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
non·ra·tion·al, adjective
non·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
o·ver·ra·tion·al, adjective
o·ver·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
pre·ra·tion·al, adjective
qua·si-ra·tion·al, adjective
qua·si-ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
trans·ra·tion·al, adjective
trans·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
ul·tra·ra·tion·al, adjective
ul·tra·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
un·ra·tion·al, adjective
un·ra·tion·al·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

Can be confused: rational, reasonable (see synonym note at reasonable).

Synonyms
2. intelligent, wise, judicious, sagacious, enlightened. 6. See reasonable.

Antonyms
2. stupid. 3. insane.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To rational
Collins
World English Dictionary
rational (ˈræʃənəl)
 
—adj
1.  using reason or logic in thinking out a problem
2.  in accordance with the principles of logic or reason; reasonable
3.  of sound mind; sane: the patient seemed quite rational
4.  endowed with the capacity to reason; capable of logical thought: man is a rational being
5.  maths expressible as a ratio of two integers or polynomials: a rational number; a rational function
 
—n
6.  maths a rational number
 
[C14: from Latin ratiōnālis, from ratiōreason]
 
'rationally
 
—adv
 
'rationalness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rational
late 14c., "endowed with reason," from L. rationalis "of or belonging to reason, reasonable," from ratio (gen. rationis) "reckoning, calculation, reason" (see ratio). Rationalist "physician whose treatment is based on reason" is from 1620s; applied to a philosophical doctrine
EXPAND
1640s. Rationalize is first recorded 1803, "to explain, to make reasonable;" in the psychological sense of "to give an explanation that conceals true motives" it dates from 1922.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

rational ra·tion·al (rāsh'ə-nəl)
adj.

  1. Having or exercising the ability to reason.

  2. Influenced by reasoning rather than by emotion.

  3. Of sound mind; sane.

  4. Based on scientific knowledge or theory rather than practical observation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

rational definition


[Mathematics] a fractional number n/d, where n and d are integers, n is the numerator and d is the denominator. The set of all rational numbers is usually called Q. Computers do not usually deal with rational numbers but instead convert them to real numbers which are represented (approximately in some cases) as floating-point numbers. Compare irrational.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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