ratiocinatio
ἢ τοὺς πότους ἐρεῖς δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὰ δεῖπνα καὶ ἐσθῆτα καὶ ἀφροδίσια, καὶ δέδιας μὴ τούτων ἐνδεὴς γενόμενος ἀπόλωμαι. οὐκ ἐννοεῖς δὲ ὅτι τὸ μὴ διψῆν τοῦ πιεῖν πολὺ κάλλιον καὶ τὸ μὴ πεινῆν τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τὸ μὴ ῥιγοῦν τοῦ ἀμπεχόνης εὐπορεῖν; → There you'll go, talking of drinking and dining and dressing up and screwing, worrying I'll be lost without all that. Don't you realize how much better it is to have no thirst, than to drink? to have no hunger, than to eat? to not be cold, than to possess a wardrobe of finery? (Lucian, On Mourning 16)
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
rătĭōcĭnātĭo: ōnis, f. id., a rhet. and archit. t. t.
I In rhet.
1 An exercise of the reasoning powers, calm reasoning, ratiocination (opp. impulsio, a passionate feeling, impulse; cf. argumentatio): ratiocinatio est diligens et considerata faciendi aliquid aut non faciendi excogitatio, Cic. Inv. 2, 5, 18: etiam sapientiae studiosos maxime medicos esse, si ratiocinatio hoc faceret, Cels. 1, praef. § 49.—
2 A certain form of reasoning, a syllogism: ratiocinatio est oratio ex ipsā re probabile aliquid eliciens, quod expositum et per se cognitum, suā se vi et ratione confirmet, Cic. Inv. 1, 34, 57; cf.: si ex alio colligitur aliud, nec improprium nec inusitatum nomen est ratiocinationis, Quint. 8, 4, 16; Cic. Inv. 2, 50, 152; Quint. 5, 10, 6; 3, 6, 15; 5, 14, 5 al.—
3 A rhet. figure, reasoning in an interrogative form: ratiocinatio est, per quam ipsi a nobis rationem poscimus, quare quidque dicamus, etc., Auct. Her. 4, 16, 23.—
II In archit., theory (opp.: fabrica, practice): ratiocinatio est, quae res fabricatas solertiā ac ratione proportionis demonstrare atque explicare potest, Vitr. 1, 1, 1; 15.
