English
rationalise
Rationalise comes from French rationaliser ‘to rationalize’, and goes back to Latin reor ‘to compute’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreor‘to compute’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiō‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiōnālis‘rational, reasonable, of or possessing reason’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrationnel‘rational’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationaliser‘to rationalize’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020rationalise
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreor‘to compute’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiō‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiōnālis‘rational, reasonable, of or possessing reason’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrationnel‘rational’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationaliser‘to rationalize’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020rationalise
Earliest quotation: 2020, Gasworks Tunnel: “The eastern bore became disused in 1972-73, when its…”
Equivalent to rational + -ise
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’
Latin reor ‘to compute’
Latin ratio ‘reason’
Latin rationalis ‘of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable’
Old French rationel
English rational
Linked words
through Latin reor ‘to compute’
rate, reasonable, irritate, ratify, 14 more
through Latin ratiō ‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground,…’
Today it means
verb —
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin reor / rationalise