# definition
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin dēfīnītiō, from dēfīniō. Equivalent to define +‎ -ition.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˌdɛf.ɪˈnɪʃ.ən/, [ˌdɛf.ɪˈnɪʃ.n̩]
* (US) IPA: /ˌdɛf.ɪˈnɪʃ.ən/, [ˌdɛf.ɪˈnɪʃ.n̩], /ˌdɛf.əˈnɪʃ.ən/, [ˌdɛf.əˈnɪʃ.n̩]
** Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: def‧in‧ition

### Noun

definition (countable and uncountable, plural definitions)
* (semantics, lexicography) A statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol (dictionary definitions).
    Your definition of "elephant" needs to be more precise than "a big animal with large ears".
** 1925, Thomas R. Marshall, Recollections of Thomas R. Marshall‎, Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, →OL, page 65:DEFINITIONS mean nothing unless the concept in the mind of the men who makes the definition is the same as that in the mind of the man who hears it.
** 2020 November 9, Christina Zdanowicz, “Oxford dictionaries change ‘sexist’ and outdated definitions of the word ‘woman’”, in CNN‎:Phrases such as “woman of the moment” were added to equal the old saying of the “man of the moment.” And one of the definitions of “woman” now refers to a “person’s wife, girlfriend, or female lover,” as opposed to being tied to only a man.
* (usually with the definite article the) A clear instance conforming to the dictionary or textbook definition.
** 2008 May, Shoeless Wayne Santos, “Baroque” (game review), GameAxis Unwired, Hardware Zone Pte, page 51:
    Baroque is a good game, but only for a very narrow subset of the gaming audience. It is the very definition of a niche title.
** 2016 March 1, Stuart Heritage, “Comedy Bang! Bang! It’s silly, it spoofy - it’s the very definition of a hidden gem”, in The Guardian:Comedy Bang! Bang! It’s silly, it spoofy – it’s the very definition of a hidden gem
** 2019 September 25, Chris Cilizza, “The Ukraine call ‘transcript’ is pretty darn close to a smoking gun”, in ThePo!nt, CNN:That Trump just came out and asked for Zelensky to investigate the Bidens – after reminding him several times of how much the US did for Ukraine!!!! – is something very close to the textbook definition of a quid pro quo.
* A statement expressing the essential nature of something; formulation
* The action or process of defining.
* The act of defining; determination of the limits.
* A product of defining.
* The action or power of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear.
    Her comic genius is beyond definition.
* Clarity of visual presentation, distinctness of outline or detail.
    The definition of a telescope.
    Improve the definition of an image.
    high-definition videos
* Clarity, especially of musical sound in reproduction.
* Sharp demarcation of outlines or limits.
    A jacket with distinct waist definition.
* (bodybuilding) The degree to which individual muscles are distinct on the body.
* (programming) A statement which provides a previous declaration with a value or body of a subroutine (in the case of function).
* (mathematics) A statement that establishes the referent of a term or notation.
* (crosswording) The part of a cryptic clue which defines but does not indicate the solution.
** 2014, Henry Howarth, Learn How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords: A Course for Beginners, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 59:However, some clues include words that do not form part of the wordplay or the definition.

#### Synonyms

* See also Thesaurus:definition

#### Hyponyms

* circular definition
* conceptual definition
* cryptic definition
* dictionary definition
* double definition
* enumerative definition
* extended definition
* extensional definition
* inductive definition
* intensional definition
* lexical definition
* operational definition
* ostensive definition
* precising definition
* recursive definition
* standard definition
* stipulative definition
* working definition

#### Derived terms

* by definition
* counterdefinition
* daffynition
* definitioneering
* definitionism
* definitionless
* definition list
* high-definition
* metadefinition
* misdefinition
* nondefinition
* overdefinition
* predefinition
* redefinition
* subdefinition
* undefinition
* underdefinition

#### Related terms

* define
* definiendum
* definiens
* definitional
* definition by example
* definition by pointing

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* definiendum
* definiens
* genus
* differentia

### References

* “definition”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* definition on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Finnish
### Noun

definition
* genitive singular of definitio

## Middle French
### Etymology

Ultimately from Latin dēfīnītiō.

### Noun

definition f (plural definitions)
* definition (clarification of this definition is needed)

#### Descendants

* → Dutch: definitie
* → English: definition
* French: définition
** Haitian Creole: definisyon
** → Romanian: definiție
** → Turkish: definisyon, definasyon

## Swedish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /dɛfɪnɪ¹ɧuːn/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

definition c
* a definition

#### Related terms

* definiera
* definiering
* definitionsfråga
* definitionsförsök
* definitionsmängd
* definitionsmässig
* definitionsordbok
* definitiv

#### See also

* betydelse
* finit
* ordförklaring

### References

* definition in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)