Nearby Words
noun
1.
Linguistics.
b.
the study of the patterns of formation of sentences and phrases from words.
c.
the rules or patterns so studied: English syntax.
d.
a presentation of these: a syntax of English.
e.
an instance of these: the syntax of a sentence.
2.
Logic.
a.
that branch of modern logic that studies the various kinds of signs that occur in a system and the possible arrangements of those signs, complete abstraction being made of the meaning of the signs.
b.
the outcome of such a study when directed upon a specified language.
3.
a system or orderly arrangement.
4.
Computers. the grammatical rules and structural patterns governing the ordered use of appropriate words and symbols for issuing commands, writing code, etc., in a particular software application or programming language.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Syntax
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Syntax
is always a great word to know.
So is typology. Does it mean:
| the classification of languages according to structural features such as patterns of phonology, morphology, and syntax, excluding their histories |
| the total inventory of morphemes in a given language plus their combinations with additional and derivative morphemes |
Example Sentences
- We might put this point by saying that the computer has a syntax but no semantics.
- All his memories had vanished, and his syntax seemed stuck in the present tense.
- But they flowed, syntax perfect, no hesitation between sentences.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
syntax
1605, from Fr. syntaxe, from L.L. syntaxis, from Gk. syntaxis "a putting together or in order, arrangement, syntax," from stem of syntassein "put in order," from syn- "together" + tassein "arrange" (see tactics).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
syntax definition
The sequence in which words are put together to form sentences. In English, the usual sequence is subject, verb, and object.
Note: Syntactic languages, such as English, use word order to indicate word relationships. Inflected languages (see inflection), such as Greek and Latin, use word endings and other inflections to indicate relationships.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
syntax definition
languageThe structure of valid strings in a given language, as described by a grammar. For example, the syntax of a binary number could be expressed as
binary_number = bit [ binary_number ]
bit = "0" | "1"
meaning that a binary number is a bit optionally followed by a binary number and a bit is a literal zero or one digit.
The meaning of the language is given by its semantics.
See also abstract syntax, concrete syntax.
(1994-10-31)
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