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ostensive definition

American  

noun

Philosophy.

  1. the definition of a term by pointing to one or more examples to which the term can be applied.

Etymology

Origin of ostensive definition

First recorded in 1920–25

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.