semantics
[ si-man-tiks ]
/ sɪˈmæn tɪks /
noun (used with a singular verb)
Linguistics.
- the study of meaning.
- the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.
Also called significs. the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.
the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.
RELATED CONTENT
What’s the Most Beautiful Word in English?If someone asked you to name the most beautiful word or phrase in English, how would you choose? Would it be based on the meaning of the word? How it sounds? How it’s spelled? There are some words, like “love,” “comely,” or “demure,” that seem like solid contenders. But the compound word that some believe to be the most inherently beautiful will likely come as …
What parts of the brain distinguish words from sentences?In English class, your grade doesn’t differentiate between how large your vocabulary is and how well you write a sentence. But recent research shows that your brain does! This evidence may mean that increasing your vocabulary won’t necessarily influence fluency when learning a new language. Two parts of the brain, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, play a large part in processing language. Broca’s area has been linked …
RELATED WORDS
connotation, interpretation, definition, explanation, explication, exposition, semiotics, symbolism, denotation, semiology, exegetics, glossology, significs
Nearby words
- semantic field,
- semantic memory,
- semantic tableau,
- semantic web,
- semanticist,
- semaphore,
- semarang,
- semasiology,
- sematic,
- sematology
Origin of semantics
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for semantics
semantics
/ (sɪˈmæntɪks) /
noun (functioning as singular)
the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning, changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or words and their meanings
the study of the relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent
logic
- the study of interpretations of a formal theory
- the study of the relationship between the structure of a theory and its subject matter
- (of a formal theory) the principles that determine the truth or falsehood of sentences within the theory, and the references of its terms
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
semantics
"science of meaning in language," 1893, from French sémantique (1883); see semantic (also see -ics). Replaced semasiology (1847), from German Semasiologie (1829), from Greek semasia "signification, meaning."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
semantics
[ sĭ-măn′tĭks ]
n.
The study or science of meaning in language forms.
The study of the relationships between various signs and symbols and what they represent.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
semantics
The scientific or philosophical study of the relations of words and their meanings.
Note
Semantics is commonly used to refer to a trivial point or distinction that revolves around mere words rather than significant issues: “To argue whether the medication killed the patient or contributed to her death is to argue over semantics.”
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.