pragmatics

[prag-mat-iks]

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Logic, Philosophy.,  the branch of semiotics dealing with the causal and other relations between words, expressions, or symbols and their users.

2. Linguistics.,  the analysis of language in terms of the situational context within which utterances are made, including the knowledge and beliefs of the speaker and the relation between speaker and listener.

3. practical considerations.

pragmatics

/ præɡˈmætɪks /

noun

1. the study of those aspects of language that cannot be considered in isolation from its use

2. the study of the relation between symbols and those who use them

Word History and Origins

Origin of pragmatics¹

First recorded in 1935–40; pragmatic, -ics