| reins | 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) Reins of a vault, the parts between the crown andd 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. Origin: F. Rein, pl. Reins, fr. L. Ren, pl. Renes. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| Reinsch's test | A test for arsenic in which a strip of copper is placed in the suspected fluid, which is then acidulated with hydrochloric acid and boiled; if arsenic is present a gray deposit occurs on the copper, and this deposit on heating is sublimated and deposited as a crystalline layer on a piece of glass held above the copper strip. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Reinsch, Adolf | <person> German physician, 1862-1916. See: Reinsch's test. (05 Mar 2000) |