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ive (Legislation), a limited veto power, by which the chief executive in a constitutional government may refuse assent to bills passed by the legislative body, which bills therefore fail to become laws unless upon a reconsideration the legislature again passes them by a certain majority specified in the constitution, w…

One who advocates radical changes in government or social institutions, especially such changes as are intended to level class inequalities; -- opposed to conservative. In politics they [the Independents] were, to use phrase of their own time. "Root-and-Branch men," or, to use the kindred phrase of our own, Radicals. M…

o erect by building; to set up; to construct; as, to rear defenses or houses; to rear one government on the ruins of another. One reared a font of stone. Tennyson.

r public reason; the enacted reason of a parliament, which he denying to enact, denies to govern us by that which ought to be our law; interposing his own private reason, which to us is no law. Milton. The most probable way of bringing France to reason would be by the making an attempt on the Spanish West Indies. Addis…

Governed by reason; being under influence of reason; thinking, speaking or acting rationally, or according to the dictates of reason; agreeable to reason; just; rational; as, the measure must satisfy all reasonable men. By indubitable certainty, I mean that which doth not admit of any reasonable cause of doubting. Bp.…

To renounce, and resist by force, the authority of the ruler or government to which one owes obedience. See Rebellion. The murmur and the churl's rebelling. Chaucer. Ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord. Josh. xxii. 16.

The act of rebelling; open and avowed renunciation of the authority of the government to which one owes obedience, and resistances to its officers and laws, either by levying war, or by aiding others to do so; an organized uprising of subjects for the purpose of coercing or overthrowing their lawful ruler or government…

ngaged in rebellion; disposed to rebel of the nature of rebels or of rebellion; resisting government or lawful authority by force. "Thy rebellious crew." "Proud rebellious arms." Milton. -- Re*bel"lious*ly, adv. -- Re*bel"lious*ness, n.

The act or process of reorganizing the governments of the States which had passed ordinances of secession, and of reëstablishing their constitutional relations to the national government, after the close of the Civil War.

See Government, n., 7. Gibbs.

A ruler or governor.[R.] God is the supreme rector of the world. Sir M. Hale.

Pertaining to a rector or governor.

A governess; a rectrix. Drayton.

Government; guidance. [Obs.] "The rectorship of judgment." Shak.

A governess; a rectoress.

n of a body to powder; the reduction of things to order; the reduction of the expenses of government; the reduction of a rebellious province.

To elect again; as, to reëlect the former governor.

an officer, steward, bailiff, or governor; -- used chiefly in compounds; as, shirereeve, now written sheriff; portreeve, etc. Chaucer. Piers Plowman.

A diplomatic agent's note asking for instructions from his government concerning a particular matter or point.

defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government. Civil service reform. See under Civil. -- Reform acts (Eng. Politics), acts of Parliament passed in 1832, 1867, 1884, 1885, extending and equalizing popular representation in Parliament. -- Reform school, a school es…