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Discussion - 4 dictionary results

dis⋅cus⋅sion

  [di-skuhsh-uhn]
Use Discussion in a Sentence
–noun
an act or instance of discussing; consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc., esp. to explore solutions; informal debate.
Origin:
1300–50; ME < AF < LL discussiōn- (s. of discussiō) inquiry, examination, L: a shaking. See discuss, -ion

Related forms:
dis⋅cus⋅sion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dis·cus·sion   (dĭ-skŭsh'ən)   
n.  
  1. Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation.
  2. A formal discourse on a topic; an exposition.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Discussion

Dis*cus"sion\, n. [L. discussio a shaking, examination, discussion: cf. F. discussion.]

1. The act or process of discussing by breaking up, or dispersing, as a tumor, or the like.

2. The act of discussing or exchanging reasons; examination by argument; debate; disputation; agitation.

The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. --Macaulay.

Discussion of a problem or an equation (Math.), the operation of assigning different reasonable values to the arbitrary quantities and interpreting the result. --Math. Dict.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Discussion
Spanish: discusión,
German: die Diskussion,
Japanese: 議論
More Translations »

discussion 
c.1340, from O.Fr. discussion, from L.L. discussionem "examination, discussion," in classical L., "a shaking," from discussus, pp. of discutere "strike asunder, break up," from dis- "apart" + quatere "to shake." Originally "examination, investigation, judicial trial;" meaning of "talk over, debate" first recorded 1448. Sense evolution in L. appears to have been from "smash apart" to "scatter, disperse," then in post-classical times (via the mental process involved) to "investigate, examine," then to "debate."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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