Definition

• Defining

  Trying to understand the meanings of a word or an expression
• Defining


  • Analyzing, delineating, exploring, and discovering the different aspects of a particular concept
  • Expressing how one perceives a word based on his/her own personal experiences
  • Understanding the essence of the word, an idea, a concept, or an expression
• Defining


  Should be done clearly or through specific terms so that even the most abstract concepts can be easily understood and relatable to the human perception
• Purpose of defining


  To give information to the reader as to what the author intends to explain
• Defining


  • Tends to not argue and to not persuade
  • A way of clarifying the misinterpretation or misuse of conventional understanding of words
• Definition


  • Comes into mind as an observation – a mere judgement of a perceived concept, eventually evolving into other meanings as the person who perceive the concept changes
  • Knowing what other concepts are associated with a word, what it is not, what it is like, what are its causes and effects, and what are some examples of it
• Types of definition


  • Denotation - the primary, explicit, or literal definition of the word
  • Connotation - the secondary meaning of a word, not necessarily included in a dictionary; rather, it is how people understand a word based on their own personal or consensual experiences
• Techniques used in a definition essay

  • Analysis
  • Collocation
  • Comparison
  • Contrast
  • Etymology
  • Exemplification
  • Function
  • Negation
  • Synonyms
  • Slang
  • Connotation
  • Denotation
• • Analysis - the process of breaking down a concept into its constituent parts
• • Collocation - words or expressions almost immediately associated with the concept you are trying to define
• Comparison - associating the word or expression you are trying to define with something else not necessarily synonymous with it
• • Contrast - discerning how at least two similar concepts are different from each other
• • Etymology - the history of a word, explaining the evolution of a word or how it has come to be
• • Exemplification - defining something by giving examples
• • Function - understanding what a word or concept means by knowing what its purpose is
• • Negation - explaining what a word or concept is not
• • Synonyms - a single word or phrase that share almost the same meaning with the concept you are trying to define
• • Slang - a clipped version of "short language", characterized by informality and usually used by a specific group of people
• Analysis- It also entails in which one, rather than zooming out and describing the concept as a whole, zooms in and focuses on describing the aspects that make up a concept.
•   Words or expressions are almost immediately associated with the concept you are trying to define. These words or expression are usually located together, hence the name “collocation”.
• Comparison- It is highly dependent on imagery which creates a vivid picture of a concept in the reader’s mind.

  -          It is usually used through analogy or through figurative language like similes and metaphors.

  -          Is used to make abstract concepts more understandable by using comparison to appeal to the human senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
• Slang can also be considered as “street talk” or “colloquial language”.