Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Reins
Reins
(rānz)
, Noun.
pl.
[F.
rein
, pl. reins
, fr. L. ren
, pl. renes
.] 1.
The kidneys; also, the region of the kidneys; the loins.
2.
The inward impulses; the affections and passions; – so called because formerly supposed to have their seat in the part of the body where the kidneys are.
My
reins
rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Prov. xxiii. 16.
I am he which searcheth the
reins
and hearts. Rev. ii. 23.
Reins of a vault
(Arch.)
, the parts between the crown and the spring or abutment, including, and having especial reference to, the loading or filling behind the shell of the vault. The reins are to a vault nearly what the haunches are to an arch, and when a vault gives way by thrusting outward, it is because its reins are not sufficiently filled up.
Webster 1828 Edition
Reins
REINS
,Noun.
plu.
1.
The kidneys; the lower part of the back.2.
In Scripture, the inward parts; the heart, or seat of the affections and passions. Ps. 73.