reins
/ɹeɪnz/ noun
Also a form of rein
- noun (archaic) The kidneys.
- noun The lower part of the back.
- noun The loins.
- noun (architecture) The parts of a vault between the crown and the spring or abutment, including, and having especial reference to, the loading or filling behind the shell of the vault.
Etymology
From Old French reins, see also rein in French.
See rein
Webster’s 1913
- noun The kidneys; also, the region of the kidneys; the loins.
- noun 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.
Etymology [F. rein, pl. reins, fr. L. ren, pl. renes.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “reins”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details