pre-rationaladj.
/(ˌ)priːˈraʃn̩(ə)l/, /prɪˈraʃən(ə)l/, U.S. /priˈræʃ(ə)nəl/ Based on mental processes considered more primary or basic than reason; intuitive, instinctive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > intuition > [adjective]
belly-sprung1607
intuitive1645
intuitional1860
pre-rational1875
pre-reflective1902
telepathic1902
pre-reflexive1955
shoot-from-the-hip1967
1875 W. Jackson Philos. Nat. Theol. iv. 253 Shewn to be a primary Belief; at first pre-rational, afterwards limited and established by Reason.
1895 Mind 4 431 Even our prerational existence is guided by a reference to those principles of value which reason subsequently discovers.
1919 M. K. Bradby Psycho-anal. iii. 39 In our intuitive pre-rational unconsciously based convictions we shall rediscover the beliefs of primitive man.
1948 P. Tillich Protestant Era p. xxiv The trend of the younger generation in Europe toward the vital and prerational side of the individual and social life.
1990 New Age Jrnl. June 67 (advt.) An exploration of the pre-rational roots and post-industrial implications of the new scientific view of the Earth as a single living organism.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1875