the organization of a business according to scientific principles of management in order to increase efficiency
(mathematics) the simplification of an expression or equation by eliminating radicals without changing the value of the expression or the roots of the equation
the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason
(psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening
the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination; "we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil"
a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion; "there is reason to believe he is lying"
an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon; "the reason a steady state was never reached was that the back pressure built up too slowly"
a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration"
think logically; "The children must learn to reason"
decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house"
a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"
ask for permission to be released from an engagement
accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"
cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa"
cause to arise; "induce a crisis"
cause to occur rapidly; "the infection precipitated a high fever and allergic reactions"
produce electric current by electrostatic or magnetic processes
a small amount or duration; "he accepted the little they gave him"
small in a way that arouses feelings (of tenderness or its opposite depending on the context); "a nice little job"; "bless your little heart"; "my dear little mother"; "a sweet little deal"; "I'm tired of your petty little schemes"; "filthy little tricks"; "what a nasty little situation"
(of a voice) faint; "a little voice"; "a still small voice"
lowercase; "little a"; "small a"; "e.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters"
(of children and animals) young, immature; "what a big little boy you are"; "small children"
a successful attempt at scoring; "the winning goal came with less than a minute left to play"
game equipment consisting of the place toward which players of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score points
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it; "the ends justify the means"
affected by a disorder of the mind; "a mental patient"; "mental illness"
involving the mind or an intellectual process; "mental images of happy times"; "mental calculations"; "in a terrible mental state"; "mental suffering"; "free from mental defects"
of or relating to the chin- or liplike structure in insects and certain mollusks
of or relating to the mind; "mental powers"; "mental development"; "mental hygiene"
(often followed by `of') not knowing or expecting; not thinking likely; "an unsuspecting victim"; "unsuspecting (or unaware) of the fact that I would one day be their leader"
not suspicious; "deceiving the unsuspecting public"
a show of military force or preparedness; "he confused the enemy with feints and demonstrations"
a public display of group feelings (usually of a political nature); "there were violent demonstrations against the war"
proof by a process of argument or a series of proposition proving an asserted conclusion
a visual presentation showing how something works; "the lecture was accompanied by dramatic demonstrations"; "the lecturer shot off a pistol as a demonstration of the startle response"
an occurrence that causes special pleasure or delight
provide treatment for; "The doctor treated my broken leg"; "The nurses cared for the bomb victims"; "The patient must be treated right away or she will die"; "Treat the infection with antibiotics"
regard or consider in a specific way; "I treated his advances as a joke"
engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement; "they had to treat with the King"
provide with a gift or entertainment; "Grandmother always treated us to the circus"; "I like to treat myself to a day at a spa when I am depressed"
interact in a certain way; "Do right by her"; "Treat him with caution, please"; "Handle the press reporters gently"