sentence
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsɛntəns/
ipa: [ˈsɛntn̩(t)s]
ipa: [ˈsɛnʔn̩(t)s]
ipa: /sɛɳˈʈɛns/
ipa: /ˈsɛɳʈəns/
rhymes: -ɛntəns
Forms: form: sentences
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French sentence, from Latin sententia (“way of thinking, opinion, sentiment”), from sentiēns, present participle of sentiō (“to feel, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).
Senses: examples: text: The court returned a sentence of guilt in the first charge, but innocence in the second.
text: A branch that has played a significant part in the history of its territory is under sentence at the end of the summer timetables, so far as its passenger services are concerned.
ref: 1959 October, Colin G. Maggs, “The Bristol-Frome branch of the W.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 473:
glosses: The decision or judgement of a jury or court; a verdict.
examples: text: The judge declared a sentence of death by hanging for the infamous child rapist.
text: The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.
ref: 1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC:
glosses: The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.
glosses: A punishment imposed on a person convicted of a crime.
examples: text: Men (saith an ancient Greek sentence) are tormented by the opinions they have of things, and not by things themselves.
ref: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
text: I am told that she writes well, and that all her letters are full of sentences.
ref: 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume IV, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], →OCLC:
glosses: A saying, especially from a great person; a maxim, an apophthegm.
examples: text: Near-synonym: clause
text: The children were made to construct sentences consisting of nouns and verbs from the list on the chalkboard.
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
hypernyms: syntagma
;
utterance
glosses: A grammatically complete series of words consisting of a subject and predicate, even if one or the other is implied. In modern writing, when using e.g. the Latin, Greek or Cyrillic alphabets, typically beginning with a capital letter and ending with a full stop or other punctuation.
topics: human-sciences
logic
mathematics
philosophy
sciences
glosses: A formula with no free variables.
topics: computing
computing-theory
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Any of the set of strings that can be generated by a given formal grammar.
examples: text: Noght o word spak he moore than was neede, / And that was seyd in forme and reverence / And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence […]
ref: [1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Prologues”, in The Canterbury Tales (in Middle English), [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:
text: now to the discourse itself, voluble enough, and full of sentence, but that, for the most part, either specious rather than solid, or to his cause nothing pertinent.
ref: 1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
text: Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; […]
ref: 1915 June, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, London: The Egoist […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 15:
glosses: Sense; meaning; significance.
examples: text: My sentence is for open war.
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
glosses: One's opinion; manner of thinking.
examples: text: [I]f it may bee lawfull to iudge or giue any ſentence thereof, it [the author of the book of Ruth] was either Samuell, or ſome other godly Prophet vnder the raigne of Saule, [...]
ref: 1596, Edward Topsell, The Reward of Religion: Deliuered in Sundry Lectures Vpon the Booke of Ruth : Wherein the Godly May See Their Dayly Both Inward and Outward Trials : with the Presence of God to Assist Them, and His Mercies to Recompence Them …, London: John Windet, published 1601, page 1:
text: By them [Martin Luther's works] we might pass sentence upon his doctrines.
ref: 1687, Francis Atterbury, An Answer to Some Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther and the Original of the Reformation; […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Sheldonian] Theater, →OCLC:
glosses: A pronounced opinion or judgment on a given question.
Synonyms: verdict
conviction
Hypernyms: topics: logic
mathematics
philosophy
human-sciences
sciences
word: formula
Hyponyms: topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: complex sentence
topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: compound sentence
topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: conditional sentence
topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: equative sentence
topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: postilion sentence
topics: grammar
linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: simple sentence
Derived terms: circle sentence
cleft sentence
composite sentence
Concord sentence
death sentence
donkey sentence
foresentence
fused sentence
garden-path sentence
garden path sentence
hypersentence
incomplete sentence
intersentence
intrasentence
jail sentence
kernel sentence
life sentence
mandatory sentence
midsentence
minor sentence
multisentence
nonsentence
number sentence
periodic sentence
presentence
prison sentence
pro-sentence
pseudosentence
run-on sentence
sentegraph
sentenceable
sentence adverb
sentence case
sentence connective
sentence element
sentence fragment
sentencehood
sentencelike
sentence mix
sentencewise
sentoid
slifting
subsentence
suspended sentence
topic sentence
Wenker sentence
Related terms: sentential