a subject of conversation or discussion: to provide a topic for discussion.
2.
the subject or theme of a discourse or of one of its parts.
3.
Rhetoric,Logic. a general field of considerations from which arguments can be drawn.
4.
Also called theme.Linguistics. the part of a sentence that announces the item about which the rest of the sentence communicates information, often signaled by initial position in the sentence or by a grammatical marker. Compare comment(def. 6).
Origin: 1560–70; < L topica (pl.) < Gk (tà) topiká name of work by Aristotle (lit., (things) pertaining to commonplaces), equiv. to tóp(os) commonplace + -ika, neut. pl. of -ikos-ic; see topo-
The subject of a speech, essay, thesis, or discourse.
A subject of discussion or conversation.
A subdivision of a theme, thesis, or outline. See Synonyms at subject.
Linguistics A word or phrase in a sentence, usually providing information from previous discourse or shared knowledge, that the rest of the sentence elaborates or comments on. Also called theme.
[Obsolete topic, rhetorical argument, sing. of Topics, title of a work by Aristotle, from Latin Topica, from Greek Topika, commonplaces, from neuter pl. of topikos, of a place, from topos, place.]
[top-ik] 
ɪk