Definition

n.	1.	The act of defining; determination of the limits; as, a telescope accurate in definition.
	2.	Act of ascertaining and explaining the signification; a description of a thing by its properties; an explanation of the meaning of a word or term; as, the definition of "circle;" the definition of "wit;" an exact definition; a loose definition. Definition being nothing but making another understand by words what the term defined stands for. - Locke.
	3.	Description; sort.
	4.	(Logic) An exact enunciation of the constituents which make up the logical essence.
	5.	(Opt.) Distinctness or clearness, as of an image formed by an optical instrument; precision in detail.

Noun	1.	definition - a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
	2.	definition - clarity of outline; "exercise had give his muscles superior definition"

DEFINITION. An enumeration of the principal ideas of which a compound idea is formed, to ascertain and explain its nature and character; or it is that which denotes and points out the substance of a thing, to us. Ayliffe's Pand. 59.
     2. A definition ought to contain every idea which belongs to the thing defined, and exclude all others.
     3. A definition should be, 1st. Universal, that is, such that it will apply equally to all individuals of, the same kind. 2d. Proper, that is, such that it will not apply to any other individual of any other kind. 3d. Clear, that is, without any equivocal, vague, or unknown word. 4th. Short, that is, without any useless word, or any foreign to the idea intended to be defined.
     4. Definitions are always dangerous, because it is always difficult to prevent their being inaccurate, or their becoming so; omnis definitio injure civili periculosa est, parum est enim, ut non subvertipossit.
     5. All ideas are not susceptible of definitions, and many words cannot be defined. This inability is frequently supplied, in a considerable degree, by descriptions. (q.v.)

acutance, appellation, atmospheric visibility, baptism, black spot, bloom, blooping, bounding, calling, ceiling, ceiling unlimited, characterization, christening, circling-in, circumscribing, circumscription, clarification, clarity, clear-cutness, clearness, coherence, connectedness, consistency, conspicuity, conspicuousness, construction, crystal-clearness, crystallinity, definiteness, delimitation, delineation, demarcation, denomination, description, designation, determination, diagnosis, differentiation, directness, distinction, distinctness, encincture, evidence, evidentness, explanation, explication, explicitness, flare, focus, fringe area, ghost, granulation, grid, hard shadow, high visibility, identification, image, inclusion-exclusion, limpidity, low visibility, lucidity, manifestness, multiple image, naming, nicknaming, noise, obviousness, outlining, patentness, pellucidity, percipi, perspicuity, picture, picture noise, picture shifts, plain English, plain speech, plain style, plainness, precision, prominence, rain, reading, resolution, rolling, scanning pattern, scintillation, seeing, shading, sharpness, simplicity, snow, snowstorm, specification, straightforwardness, structure, styling, terming, transparency, transpicuity, unadorned style, unambiguousness, unequivocalness, unmistakableness, visibility unlimited, visibility zero, way of seeing

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