Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Rein

Rein

(r?n)
,
Noun.
[F.
rêne
, fr. (assumed) LL.
retina
, fr. L.
retinere
to hold back. See
Retain
.]
1.
The strap of a bridle, fastened to the curb or snaffle on each side, by which the rider or driver governs the horse.
This knight laid hold upon his
reyne
.
Chaucer.
2.
Hence, an instrument or means of curbing, restraining, or governing; government; restraint.
“Let their eyes rove without rein.”
Milton.
To give rein
,
To give the rein to
,
to give license to; to leave withouut restrain.
To take the reins
,
to take the guidance or government; to assume control.

Rein

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Reined
(r?nd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Reining
.]
1.
To govern or direct with the reins;
as, to
rein
a horse one way or another
.
He mounts and
reins
his horse.
Chapman.
2.
To restrain; to control; to check.
Being once chafed, he can not
Be
reined
again to temperance.
Shakespeare

Rein

,
Verb.
I.
To be guided by reins.
[R.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition


Rein

REIN

,
Noun.
[L. retina, retinaculum. If contracted from the Latin, it is from retineo, otherwise from the root of arrest.]
1.
The strap of a bridle, fastened to the curb or snaffle on each side, by which the rider of a horse restrains and governs him.
2.
The instrument of curbing, restraining or governing; government.
To give the reins, to give license; to leave without restraint.
To take the reins, to take the guidance or government.

REIN

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To govern by a bridle.
2.
To restrain; to control.

Definition 2024


Rein

Rein

See also: rein, reiñ, and rein-

Estonian

Proper noun

Rein

  1. (genitive: Reini) the Rhine.
  2. (genitive: Reinu) A male given name, related to English Reynold and Rainer.

Finnish

Proper noun

Rein

  1. the Rhine

Declension

Inflection of Rein (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative Rein
genitive Reinin
partitive Reinia
illative Reiniin
singular plural
nominative Rein
accusative nom. Rein
gen. Reinin
genitive Reinin
partitive Reinia
inessive Reinissa
elative Reinista
illative Reiniin
adessive Reinilla
ablative Reinilta
allative Reinille
essive Reinina
translative Reiniksi
instructive
abessive Reinitta
comitative

Romansch

Alternative forms

  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) Rain
  • (Sutsilvan, Surmiran) Ragn

Proper noun

Rein m

  1. (Sursilvan) the Rhine

rein

rein

See also: Rein, reiñ, and rein-

English

Noun

rein (plural reins)

  1. A strap or rope attached to the bridle or bit, used to control a horse, animal or young child.
  2. (figuratively) An instrument or means of curbing, restraining, or governing.
    • Milton
      Let their eyes rove without rein.
Translations

Verb

rein (third-person singular simple present reins, present participle reining, simple past and past participle reined)

  1. To direct or stop a horse by using reins.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Chapman
      He mounts and reins his horse.
  2. To restrain; to control; to check.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      Being once chafed, he cannot / Be reined again to temperance.
Derived terms
Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Anglo-Norman reines, Middle French reins, and their source, Latin rēnēs.

Noun

rein (plural reins)

  1. (now rare, archaic, chiefly in plural) A kidney.
  2. The inward impulses; the affections and passions, formerly supposed to be located in the area of the kidneys.
    • Bible, Proverbs xxiii. 16
      My reins rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
    • Bible, Revelation ii. 23
      I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts.

Anagrams


Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Old Dutch reini, rēni, from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz.

Adjective

rein (comparative reiner, superlative reinst)

  1. (formal) clean, spotless
  2. pure, sheer

Inflection

Inflection of rein
uninflected rein
inflected reine
comparative reiner
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial rein reiner het reinst
het reinste
indefinite m./f. sing. reine reinere reinste
n. sing. rein reiner reinste
plural reine reinere reinste
definite reine reinere reinste
partitive reins reiners

Derived terms

Anagrams


Finnish

Noun

rein

  1. Instructive plural form of reki.

Anagrams


French

Etymology

From Latin ren.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁɛ̃/

Noun

rein m (plural reins)

  1. (anatomy) kidney
  2. (in the plural) small of the back, waist

See also

Anagrams


German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁaɪn/
  • Homophone: Rhein
  • Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Etymology 1

From Old High German reini, from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz, a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *(s)keri-. Cognate with Old Saxon hreni (Low German ren), Dutch rein, Old Norse hreinn (Swedish ren); and with Ancient Greek κρίνειν (krínein) ('separate, decide, judge'; see Watkins 'American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European roots' under 'krei-' for more reflexes), Old Irish criathar. More remotely related to English riddle (sieve).

Adjective

rein (comparative reiner, superlative am reinsten)

  1. pure, clear, plain
    • 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 24/2010, page 131:
      Natürlich ist eine Weltmeisterschaft kein reines Sportevent mehr, sie ist sicher auch ein bisschen Welt- und Entwicklungspolitik.
      Of course, a world championship is no longer a pure sports event, it surely is also a bit of world and development politics.
Declension

Adverb

rein

  1. purely
    Unsere Beziehung ist rein platonisch.
    Our relationship is purely platonic.

Etymology 2

Contraction of herein (in here) or hinein (in there).

Adverb

rein

  1. (colloquial) inside, in here
    Er kommt jetzt rein. ― He's coming inside now.
  2. (colloquial) inside, in there
    Er geht rein zu den andern. ― He's going inside to the other people.
Usage notes

Unlike the standard language, colloquial German does not distinguish the meanings of hinein (in there: away from the speaker) and herein (in here: towards the speaker). Rein is used for both meanings.

Synonyms
Related terms

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈreiːn/
  • Rhymes: -eiːn

Noun

rein f (genitive singular reinar, nominative plural reinar)

  1. a strip (of land)

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms


Middle French

Noun

rein m (plural reins)

  1. (anatomy) kidney

Norman

Etymology

From Latin rēn.

Noun

rein m (plural reins)

  1. (Jersey, anatomy) kidney

Related terms


Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /rejn/, [ɾæɪ̯n]
  • Homophone: regn

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hreinn

Alternative forms

Adjective

rein (neuter singular reint, definite singular and plural reine, comparative reinere, indefinite superlative reinest, definite superlative reineste)

  1. clean
  2. pure

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hreinn

Noun

rein m (definite singular reinen, indefinite plural reiner, definite plural reinene)

  1. a reindeer
Synonyms
Derived terms

References


Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hreinn

Adjective

rein (neuter singular reint, definite singular and plural reine, comparative reinare, indefinite superlative reinast, definite superlative reinaste)

  1. clean
  2. pure

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hreinn

Noun

rein m (definite singular reinen, indefinite plural reinar, definite plural reinane)

  1. a reindeer
Synonyms
Derived terms

References


Old French

Etymology 1

First attested in the plural as reins, from Latin rēnes, plural of the almost unused rēn.

Alternative forms

Noun

rein m (oblique plural reinz, nominative singular reinz, nominative plural rein)

  1. (anatomy) kidney
  2. (in the plural, reins) small of the back, lower back
Descendants

Etymology 2

See rien

Noun

rein f (oblique plural reinz, nominative singular rein, nominative plural reinz)

  1. Alternative form of rien

Volapük

Noun

rein (plural reins)

  1. rain

Declension

Synonyms


West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian, from Proto-Germanic *regnaz. Compare English rain, Low German Ręgen, Dutch regen, German Regen, Danish regn.

Noun

rein

  1. rain