semantics
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.
Origin of semantics
1Other words from semantics
- se·man·ti·cist [si-man-tuh-sist], /sɪˈmæn tə sɪst/, se·man·ti·cian [see-man-tish-uhn], /ˌsi mænˈtɪʃ ən/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for semantics
/ (sɪˈmæntɪks) /
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
Derived forms of semantics
- semanticist, noun
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
Cultural definitions for semantics
The scientific or philosophical study of the relations of words and their meanings.
Notes for 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.
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