Definition

A Definition is an Explicit Referencer that Denotes a Meaning Relation between a Definiendum (Term) and the Referent(s) it implies.

• AKA: Definientes, Definiens.
• Context:
  • It is a Meaning Representation.
  • It can apply to some Domain.
  • It can be used by an Agent to operate in a Domain.
  • It can range from being Precise to being Ambiguous.
  • It can be:
    • a Formal Definition;
    • a Semi-Formal Definition;
    • an Informal Definition.
  • It can be:
    • a Linguistic Definition, such as a Word Definition or a Technical Term Definition.
    • a Mathematical Definition, such as a Mathematical Formula.
  • It can be:
    • an Analytical Definition, e.g. "X is a type of Y that has property Z".
    • a Definition by Example, e.g. "Y and Z are types of X".
    • a Definition by Synonym, e.g. "X means the same thing as Y"
    • an Explanatory Definition.
    • a Persuasive Definition.
    • a Precising Definition.
    • a Stipulative Definition.
    • a Rhetorical Definition, e.g. "An X is a good-for-nothing Y who is more concerned about W than Z. Did I persuade you?".
  • It can be:
    • an Extensional Definition;
    • an Intensional Definition.
  • It can have a Connotation for an Agent that differs from the Connotation experienced by another Agent.
  • It can be created by a Definer during a Definition Creation Task.
• Example(s):
  • Analytical Definitions
    • "An X is a type of Y that has property Z and is used in domain D to achieve effect E."
    • "A household is two or more persons related by birth, marriate or adoption who reside together in a household."
    • "A marriage is an institutional arrangement between persons who recognize each other as intimate partners. They are 1) socially legitimate sexual unions; * "An X is a type of Y that can reach L₂ from L₁ after time period P as the result of cause C."
    • Logic Definition
      • (∀ (f s1 s2) (if (function0 f s1 s2)(domain s1 f))), a Formal Definition of "domain".
      • (Parent(x,y) ∧ Parent(y,z) ∧ Person(x) ∧ Person(y) ∧ Person(z)) → Grandparent(x,y), a Definite Clause.
    • Mathematical Definition
      • e=mc².
      • f=ma.
  • Definition by Examples:
    • "Y and Z are types of X".
    • "'mice and people are mammals but ants and fishes are not' is an example of a definition-by-example."
  • Definition by Synonym
    • "X is the same as Y and Z but used in context T"
    • "A lawyer is an attorney".
• See: Gloss, Dictionary, Definiendum

References

• http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/definition
  • Noun
    • 1. (semantics) A statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol (dictionary definitions).
    • 2. A statement expressing the essential nature of something.
    • 3. The action or process of defining.
    • 4. The act of defining; determination of the limits.
    • 5. A product of defining.
    • 6. The action or power of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear. Her comic genius is beyond definition.
    • 7. Clarity of visual presentation, distinctness of outline or detail. The definition of a telescope. Improve the definition of an image.
    • 8. Clarity, especially of musical sound in reproduction.
    • 9. Sharp demarcation of outlines or limits. A jacket with distinct waist definition.
    • 10. (bodybuilding) The degree to which individual muscles are distinct on the body.
• http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/definiens
  • Noun definiens (plural definientia)
    • 1. (semantics) That which defines the definiendum in a definition.
• (Wikipedia, 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition
  • A definition is a statement of the meaning of a word or phrase. The term to be defined is known as the definiendum (Latin: that which is to be defined). The words which define it are known as the definiens (Latin: that which is doing the defining).[1]
• http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007312625x/student_view0/chapter2/
  • Quote: Definitions serve a number of purposes, but they almost always aim at the general purpose of facilitating understanding.
    • 1. Stipulative definitions assign a meaning to a word: "We will call those data that help predict the economy's future 'leading indicators.'"
    • 2. Explanatory definitions illustrate the implications of an already known but difficult concept: "Every use of the word 'beauty' implies some suitability to a purpose."
    • 3. Precising definitions narrow down the meaning of a potentially unclear term: "By 'walking' we will specifically mean 'moving under one's own power while keeping at least one foot on the ground.'"
    • 4. Persuasive definitions aim at influencing their audience: "That word 'casualties' refers to our sons and daughters killed in battle."
  • Quote: Different structures of definitions can achieve these purposes.
    • 1. One may define by example, naming representative members of a group: "Ants are typical insects."
    • 2. One may define by synonym, substituting a word or phrase with the same meaning: "'Ophidophobia' is the fear of snakes."
    • 3. One may define by analysis: "Precipitation is water that reaches the earth's surface from the atmosphere as the result of meteorological causes."

2008

• (Masse & al, 2008) => Blondin Masse, A, G. Chicoisne, Y. Gargouri, Stevan Harnad, O. Picard, and O. Marcotte. (2008). "How Is Meaning Grounded in Dictionary Definitions?" In: TextGraphs-3 Workshop, 22nd International Conference on Computational Linguistics (Coling 2008).
  • At its most basic level, a dictionary is a set of associated pairs: a word and its definition, along with some disambiguating parameters. The word to be defined, w, is called the definiendum (plural: definienda) while the finite nonempty set of words that defines w, d_w, is called the set of definientes of w (singular: definiens). [In the context of this mathematical analysis, we will use “word” to mean a finite string of uninterrupted letters having some associated meaning.]
  • Each dictionary entry accordingly consists of a definiendum w followed by its set of definientes d_w. A dictionary D then consists of a finite set of pairs (w, d_w) where w is a word and d_w = (w_1, w_2,..., w_n), where n >= 1, is its definition, satisfying the property that for all (w', d_w') in D and for all d in d_w, there exists (w'; d_w') in D such that d = w'. A pair (w, d_w) is called an entry of D. In other words, a dictionary is a finite set of words, each of which is defined, and each of its defining words is likewise defined somewhere in the dictionary.