ENGLISH
REFERENCE

reckon

v. · n.
US //ˈɹɛkən// UK //ɹˈɛkən// reck·on
  1. 1 to think or believe (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal British English

    to think or believe that something is true or will happen.

    to believe, suppose, or expect something to be the case. Frequently used in British and Australian English to introduce a clause.

    Example

    I reckon it will rain later today, so you should take an umbrella.

    Example

    Most of the locals reckon that the new bypass will actually increase traffic congestion rather than solve the town's gridlock issues.

    Usage

    Often followed by a 'that' clause, though 'that' is frequently omitted in speech.
  2. 2 to calculate (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Math

    to calculate or figure out a number or amount.

    to calculate, compute, or determine an amount or number through mathematical means.

    Example

    The total cost was reckoned at over five hundred dollars.

    Example

    The final damages were reckoned to be in the millions, once the full extent of the structural failure was assessed by the engineers.

    Usage

    Often used in financial or technical contexts regarding totals.
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  1. 3 to consider or regard (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    to consider someone or something to be a certain way.

    to consider or regard someone or something as being a particular thing or having a particular quality.

    Example

    He was reckoned among the best writers of his time.

    Example

    In the annals of maritime history, she is reckoned one of the most daring explorers to have ever navigated the southern passages.
  2. 4 to deal with (reckon with) (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to deal with a difficult person or situation that you cannot ignore.

    to take something into account or to deal with a powerful person or force.

    Example

    If you break the rules, you will have to reckon with the manager.

    Example

    The campaign failed because the organisers did not reckon with the sheer scale of public opposition to the proposed tax hikes.

    Usage

    Used as a phrasal verb 'reckon with'.
  3. 5 an opinion (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal British English Dialect

    your personal opinion or guess about something.

    an informal term for an individual's opinion, calculation, or impression of a situation.

    Example

    By my reckon, we should have arrived at the station ten minutes ago.

    Example

    If you want my honest reckon, the whole project is likely to be mothballed before the end of the fiscal year.
Origin

From Middle English rekenen, from Old English recenian (“to pay; arrange, dispose, reckon”) and ġerecenian (“to explain, recount, relate”); both from Proto-West Germanic rekanōn (“to count, explain”), from Proto-West Germanic rekan (“swift, ready, prompt”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to make straight or right”). Cognate with Scots rekkin (“to enumerate, mention, narrate, rehearse, count, calculate, compute”), Saterland Frisian reekenje (“to calculate, figure, reckon”), West Frisian rekkenje (“to account, tally, calculate, figure”), Dutch rekenen (“to count, calculate, reckon, charge”), German Low German reken (“to reckon”), German rechnen (“to count, reckon, calculate”), Danish regne (“to calculate”), Swedish räkna (“to count, calculate, reckon”), Icelandic reikna (“to calculate”), Latin rectus (“straight, right”). See also reck, reach.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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