01 n. pl. The kidneys; also, the region of the kidneys; the loins.
-
1.
The kidneys; also, the region of the kidneys; the loins.
-
2.
The inward impulses; the affections and passions; -- so called because formerly supposed to have their seat in the part of the body where the kidneys are.“My reins rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.” — Prov. xxiii. 16.“I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts.” — Rev. ii. 23.
Phrases & compounds
Reins of a vault —
the parts between the crown and the spring or abutment, including, and having especial reference to, the loading or filling behind the shell of the vault. The reins are to a vault nearly what the haunches are to an arch, and when a vault gives way by thrusting outward, it is because its reins are not sufficiently filled up.