Ratio and Reason Are the Same Latin Word
A ratio is a quantitative relationship between two amounts. The Latin word behind it also gave English reason.
A ratio is the quantitative relationship between two amounts, showing how many times one contains the other. Latin *ratio* meant a reckoning, a calculation, and then a reason — the same word gave English both *ratio* and *reason*, one arriving directly from Latin and the other through French. To reason is to reckon; to give a ratio is to state a reckoning. A *rational* number is one expressible as a ratio, which is why numbers that are not are called *irrational*.
- A quantitative relation. *A ratio of 3 to 1.*
- Reason — the same word. *Reason.*
- Rational — expressible as a ratio. *A rational number.*
- Ration — a measured share. *A daily ration.*
- Latin — *ratio*, a reckoning. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ratio | A ratio. |
| Plural | ratios | Ratios. |
| Adjective | rational | Rational. |
| Related | reason | Reason. |
| Related | ration | A ration. |
- The ratio of staff to students is one to twelve.Maths.
- Rational numbers can be written as fractions.Numbers.
- Reason and ratio are one word.Etymology.
The ratio family
- Ratio — a reckoning between quantities
- Reason — the same word through French
- Rational — able to be reckoned, or able to reason
- Ration — a measured share, reckoned out
- Rate — a reckoned amount per unit
Latin *ratio*, a reckoning or calculation, from *reri*, to reckon or think.
Are ratio and reason the same word?
Yes. Both come from Latin ratio, a reckoning; ratio came straight from Latin and reason through Old French.
Why are some numbers called irrational?
Because they cannot be written as a ratio of two whole numbers, not because they are unreasonable.