semantic
[ si-man-tik ]
adjective
of, relating to, or arising from the different meanings of words or other symbols: semantic change; semantic confusion.
of or relating to semantics.
Origin of semantic
1First recorded in 1655–65; from Greek sēmantikós “having meaning,” equivalent to sēmant(ós) “marked” (sēman-, base of sēmaínein “to show, mark” + -tos verbal adjective suffix; akin to sêma “sign”) + -ikos -ic
- Sometimes se·man·ti·cal [si-man-ti-kuhl] /sɪˈmæn tɪ kəl/ .
Other words from semantic
- se·man·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- non·se·man·tic, adjective
- pseu·do·se·man·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for semantic
semantic
/ (sɪˈmæntɪk) /
adjective
of or relating to meaning or arising from distinctions between the meanings of different words or symbols
of or relating to semantics
logic concerned with the interpretation of a formal theory, as when truth tables are given as an account of the sentential connectives
Origin of semantic
1C19: from Greek sēmantikos having significance, from sēmainein to signify, from sēma a sign
Derived forms of semantic
- semantically, adverb
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
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