rational

WOTD - 20 January 2009    

English

Alternative forms

• rationall (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: ră'sh(ə)nəl, IPA: /ˈræʃ(ə)nəl/, SAMPA: /"r{S(@)n@l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Old French rationel, rational, from Latin rationalis (“of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable”), from ratio (“reason”)

Adjective

rational (comparative more rational, superlative most rational)

1. Capable of reasoning.

   Man is a rational creature.

2. Logically sound; not contradictory or otherwise absurd.

   His statements were quite rational.

3. (of a person or personal characteristics) Healthy or balanced intellectually; exhibiting reasonableness.

   rational conduct

4. (mathematics, arithmetic, number theory, not comparable) Of a number, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two integers.

   $\tfrac{3}{4}$ is a rational number, but √2 is an irrational number.

5. (mathematics, arithmetic, not comparable) Of an algebraic expression, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two polynomials.

Antonyms

• (reasonable): absurd, irrational, nonsensical
• (capable of reasoning): arational, irrational, non-rational
• (number theory): irrational

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to rational

arational irrational non-rational

rationale rationality rationalness

subrational suprarational

Translations

capable of reasoning

Armenian: բանական (hy) (banakan) Catalan: racional (ca) Croatian: rȁcionālan (hr), rȁzūman (hr) Czech: racionální (cs) Finnish: rationaalinen (fi) French: rationnel (fr) m., rationnelle (fr) f.

Hungarian: értelmes (hu) Macedonian: рационален (mk) (racionálen) m., разумен (mk) (rázumen) m. Romanian: rațional (ro) m. and n. Russian: мыслящий (ru) Scottish Gaelic: ciallach (gd)

reasonable; not absurd

Arabic: عقلاني Armenian: ռացիոնալ (hy) (ṙac’ional), խելացի (hy) (xelac’i), նպատակահարմար (hy) (npatakaharmar) Catalan: racional (ca) Croatian: rȁcionālan (hr), rȁzūman (hr), rázborit (hr) Czech: racionální (cs) Danish: rationel (da) Dutch: rationeel (nl), redelijk (nl), verstandelijk (nl) Finnish: järkevä (fi), järjellinen (fi), järkiperäinen (fi), järkeenkäypä (fi), rationaalinen (fi) French: raisonnable (fr) Hungarian: racionális (hu), ésszerű (hu)

Italian: razionale (it) Japanese: 合理的 (ja) (gōriteki) Korean: 합리적인 (ko) Macedonian: рационален (mk) (racionálen) m., разумен (mk) (rázumen) m., целисходен (mk) (celíshoden) m. Polish: racjonalny (pl) Portuguese: racional (pt) Romanian: rațional (ro) m. and n. Russian: рациональный (ru), целесообразный (ru), рассудительный (ru) Scottish Gaelic: ciallach (gd) Swedish: rationell (sv) Telugu: హేతుబద్దమైన (heatubaddamaina)

arithmetic: of a number

Armenian: ռացիոնալ (hy) (ṙac’ional) Catalan: racional (ca) Croatian: rȁcionālan (hr) Czech: racionální (cs) Dutch: rationeel, rationele Finnish: rationaali- (fi) French: rationnel (fr) m., rationnelle (fr) f. German: rational (de) Hungarian: racionális (hu)

Icelandic: ræður (is) m. Italian: razionale (it) Japanese: 有理の(ゆうりの, yūrino) Macedonian: рационален (mk) (racionálen) m. Polish: wymierny m., wymierna f., wymierne n. Portuguese: racional (pt) Romanian: rațional (ro) n. Russian: рациональный Swedish: rationell (sv)

arithmetic: of an algebraic expression

Armenian: ռացիոնալ (hy) (ṙac’ional) Croatian: rȁcionālan (hr) Finnish: rationaali- (fi)

German: rational (de) Icelandic: ræður (is) m. Macedonian: рационален (mk) (racionálen) m.

Etymology 2

From Old French rational, from Medieval Latin rationale (“a pontifical stole, a pallium, an ornament worn over the chasuble”), neuter of Latin rationalis (“rational”), for which see the first etymology.

Noun

rational (plural rationals)

1. (mathematics) A rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.

   The quotient of two rationals is again a rational.

Translations

rational number — see rational number

References

• rational in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• rational in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• notarial