unreasoning
Meaning
Not using or governed by reason; irrational or illogical.
Structure
Usage
She felt an unreasoning fear whenever she heard that particular sound.
His unreasoning loyalty to the company blinded him to its obvious flaws.
The debate was derailed by his unreasoning anger.
Etymology
The word "unreasoning" is built upon the core concept of "reason," which traces back to the Latin ratio, meaning a reckoning, calculation, or logical faculty. The suffix "-ing" is added to form an adjective describing something characterized by that action—in this case, "reasoning." Finally, the Old English negative prefix "un-" is attached to negate the entire concept. Thus, the literal construction "not reasoning" directly and logically yields the modern abstract meaning of acting without or devoid of logical thought, capturing a state of irrationality or instinctive reaction.
Analysis
- un: A prefix of Germanic origin (Old English) meaning "not," serving a negating function. - reason: A root of Latin origin (ratiōnem, "calculation, reasoning"), serving as the core noun denoting logical thought. - ing: A suffix of Germanic origin (Old English -ende, -ing) forming present participles and adjectives from verbs, here indicating a quality or state.