definiendum

American  

[dih-fin-ee-en-duhm] / dɪˌfɪn iˈɛn dəm /

noun

plural

definienda

1. something that is or is to be defined, especially the term at the head of a dictionary entry.

2. Logic. an expression to be defined in terms of another expression previously defined.

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definiendum British  

/ dɪˌfɪnɪˈɛndəm /

noun

1. something to be defined, esp the term or phrase to be accounted for in a dictionary entry Compare definiens

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Etymology

Origin of definiendum

First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin dēfīniendum, neuter gerundive of dēfīnīre “to limit, define”; see define

Explanation

Definiendum is a fancy term for a word that is being defined. Definiendum is the definiendum of this blurb. When you look up the word "diligent" in the dictionary, it's "diligent" that's the definiendum — you'll find it listed there, along with its definition. A word or phrase defined in the context of a sentence is also considered to be a definiendum. If your teacher says, "A parallelogram is a four-sided polygon in which the opposite sides are parallel and equal," the word "parallelogram" is a definiendum.