# reins

Pronunciation: say "RAYNZ" /ɹeɪnz/

## Noun

1. Plural of rein. — plural of rein
   - Simple: Plural of rein. Use it for the pair of straps a rider holds, or for control over something.
   - _The driver gathered up the reins and the two horses pulled the cart onto the road._
   - _After thirty years in charge, the founder finally handed the reins to his deputy._
4. In a vault, the parts between the crown and the spring or abutment, especially the loading or filling behind the shell.
   - Simple: In an arched stone ceiling, the parts between the top and the sides it rests on, with the fill behind them.
   - _Restorers found that the rubble in the reins of the barrel vault had washed out over the centuries._
   - _The engineer recommended lightweight concrete to fill the reins without overloading the walls below._

## Verb

2. Third-person singular simple present of rein. — third-person singular simple present indicative of rein
   - Simple: Third-person singular present of rein. Use it after he, she, it, or one person's name.
   - _The chair reins in the debate whenever it drifts toward personal attacks._
   - _The old mare reins well enough for a beginner to ride on the trail._

## Noun

3. The part of the body known as the loins. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The loins, the part of the body near the hips.
5. The lower region of the back. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The lower part of the back.
   - _The old soldier pressed a hand to his reins, where the long ride had left him stiff._
   - _A dull pain across the reins kept the weaver from bending over her loom._
6. The kidneys. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The kidneys, the two organs in your back that clean your blood.
   - _The physician feared the stone had lodged in the patient's reins and would not pass._
   - _A sickness of the reins had darkened his water and left him too weak to work._

## Origin

From Old French reins; compare French rein.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/reins (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).