definitions

grammar

[ gram-er ]
/ ˈgræm ər /
|
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noun

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RELATED WORDS

alphabet, syntax, stratification, structure, linguistics, elements, principles, accidence, morphology, tagmemics

Nearby words

graminicolous, graminivorous, graminology, grammage, grammalogue, grammar, grammar school, grammar-translation method, grammarian, grammatical, grammatical gender

Origin of grammar

1325–75; Middle English gramery < Old French gramaire < Latin gramatica < Greek grammatikḕ (téchnē) grammatical (art); see -ar2

Related forms

gram·mar·less, adjective

Can be confused

grammar grandma grandmother
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grammar

British Dictionary definitions for grammar

grammar

/ (ˈɡræmə) /

noun

the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology, sometimes also phonology and semantics
the abstract system of rules in terms of which a person's mastery of his native language can be explained
a systematic description of the grammatical facts of a language
a book containing an account of the grammatical facts of a language or recommendations as to rules for the proper use of a language
  1. the use of language with regard to its correctness or social propriety, esp in syntaxthe teacher told him to watch his grammar
  2. (as modifier)a grammar book
the elementary principles of a science or artthe grammar of drawing

Derived Forms

grammarless, adjective

Word Origin for grammar

C14: from Old French gramaire, from Latin grammatica, from Greek grammatikē (tekhnē) the grammatical (art), from grammatikos concerning letters, from gramma letter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for grammar

grammar

The rules for standard use of words. A grammar is also a system for classifying and analyzing the elements of language.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.