the act of defining, or of making something definite, distinct, or clear: We need a better definition of her responsibilities.
the formal statement of the meaning or significance of a word, phrase, idiom, etc., as found in dictionaries. An online dictionary resource, such as Dictionary.com, can give users direct, immediate access to the definitions of a term, allowing them to compare definitions from various dictionaries and stay up to date with an ever-expanding vocabulary.
the condition of being definite, distinct, or clearly outlined: His biceps have great muscle definition.
Optics. sharpness of the image formed by an optical system.
Radioand Television. the accuracy of sound or picture reproduction.
Origin of definition
1350–1400;Middle Englishdiffinicioun < Old Frenchdiffinition < Latindēfīnītiōn- (stem of dēfīnītiō), equivalent to dēfīnīt(us) (see definite) + -iōn--ion
Related formsdef·i·ni·tion·al, adjectivedef·i·ni·tion·al·ly, adverbpre·def·i·ni·tion, nounre·def·i·ni·tion, nounself-def·i·ni·tion, nounsub·def·i·ni·tion, noun
late 14c., "decision, setting of boundaries," from Old French definicion, from Latin definitionem (nominative definitio), noun of action from past participle stem of definire (see define).
In logic, meaning "act of stating what something means" is from 1640s; meaning "a statement of the essential nature of something" is from late 14c.; the special focus on words developed after c.1550. Meaning "degree of distinctness of the details in a picture" is from 1889.
