definiteadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈdɛf(ᵻ)nᵻt/, U.S.

/ˈdɛf(ə)nət/

Forms: Also 1500s diffynite, 1600s definit.

Etymology: < Latin dēfīnītus defined, bounded, limited, distinct, precise, past participle of dēfīnīre : see define v. Compare obsolete French définit, -ite (1504 in Godefroy).

A. adj.

a. Having fixed or exact limits; clearly defined, determinate, fixed, certain; exact, precise. (Of material, or, more commonly, immaterial things.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > definite or determinate

firm1377

determinatec1386

certain1393

determinablec1400

precisec1443

finite1493

well-defined1551

definite1553

determined1570

set1594

perfixed1601

formed1605

punctual1615

well-marked1620

definitive1624

determinated1635

determinativea1676

clear-cut1843

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > [adjective] > defined, well-formed

well-assureda1413

definite1553

firm1600

well-founded1608

stated1651

well-establisheda1685

ironclad1838

rock-bottom1889

1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 1 Either it is an infinite question and without ende, or els it is definite and comprehended within some ende..Those questions are called definite, which set forthe a matter, with the..namyng of place, tyme, and persone.

1593 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia 74 The goddess, who in a definite compass can set forth infinite beauty.

1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 1 Either by the definite will of God so ruling, or the peculiar sway of nature, which also is Gods working.

1691 W. Petty Treat. Naval Philos. in T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 122 The clear and definite understanding of the several parts of the Ship.

1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 50 In a charge of Adultery, the Accuser ought to set forth..some certain and definite time.

1813 C. Lamb in Philanthropist Jan. 53 Those uneasy sensations..worse to bear than any definite pains or aches.

1859 C. Dickens Let. 26 Jan. (1997) IX. 17 I must give some decided and definite answer.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxiv. 174 A definite structure was in many places to be traced.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People v. §4. 238 Even this class [serfs] had now acquired definite rights.

b. transferred. Said of persons, in reference to their actions (opinions, statements, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > [adjective]

sickerc1100

bolda1300

surec1330

trist1340

certain1362

traista1400

tresta1400

ensurec1430

suredc1450

absolute1483

firm1483

resolute1501

assured1523

satisfied1533

unperplexed1558

unblanked1570

resolved1577

secure1578

clear1604

constant1611

ungravelled1611

confidenta1616

definitea1616

fearless1634

decretory1651

positive1658

unbrangled1671

cocksure1672

convinced1685

reliant1702

unbewildereda1807

positivistic1893

hensure1929

tooting1932

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. vi. 44 Idiots in this case of fauour, would Be wisely definit .

a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) ii. vii. §7. 277 As definite as hee was in appointing the set time of the dissolution of Babilon.

1894 N.E.D. at Definite Mod. Be more definite in your statements.

c. definite description n. Philosophy in the theory of descriptions proposed by Bertrand Russell, a denoting phrase that is introduced by the definite article or its equivalent.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > philosophy of language > language theories of individual philosophers > [noun] > theory or elements of theory of Bertrand Russell

object word1876

correspondence theory1902

object language1905

definite description1911

1911 B. Russell in Proc. Aristotelian Soc. 1910–11 XI. v. 112 A phrase of the form ‘a so-and-so’ I shall call an ‘ambiguous’ description; a phrase of the form ‘the so-and-so’ (in the singular) I shall call a ‘definite’ description.

1944 M. Weitz in Schilpp Philos. B. Russell 117 The best example of analysis as contextual definition in Russell..is his analysis of definite descriptions.

1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XI. 49/2 The correct analysis of propositions containing definite descriptions has been the subject of considerable philosophical controversy.

1977 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 1976 21 143 We are..obliged to accept that in some sense ‘Smith's murderer’ is not even a definite description, if used referentially.

2. Grammar.

a. Applied, in German and Early English grammar, to those inflections of the adjective which are used when preceded by the definite article or some equivalent.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > adjective > [adjective] > other specific types of adjective

qualitative1872

definite1874

heterological1926

projectile1929

classifying1952

1874 R. Morris Chaucer's Prol., etc. (Clar. Press Ser.) Introd. 33 Adjectives, like the modern German, have two forms—Definite and Indefinite. The definite form preceded by the definite article, a demonstrative adjective, or a possessive pronoun, terminates in -ë in all cases of the singular.

b. Of verbs: = finite. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective] > finite

definite1728

definitive1731

finite1795

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Definite, in Grammar, is applied to an Article, or a Tense of a Verb, that has a precise, determinate Signification... I have loved, is a Preter-Perfect Definite.

1765 W. Ward Ess. Gram. iv. ii. 158 The verb in this character [i.e. infinitive] may be..used as a nominative case, on which a definite verb depends.

c. definite article n. the demonstrative determiner the, and its equivalents in other languages, as indicating a defined or particularized individual of the species denoted by the noun.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > determiner > [noun] > article > definite

definite article1728

definitive1751

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Definite, in Grammar, is applied to an Article, or a Tense of a Verb, that has a precise, determinate Signification.

1765 W. Ward Ess. Gram. i. xxii. 103 ‘The’ is called the definite article.

1795 L. Murray Eng. Gram. 22 The is called the definite article, because it ascertains what particular thing is meant; as, give me the book.

1855 D. Forbes Hindústání Gram. (1868) 18 Arabic nouns have frequently the definite article..of the language prefixed to them.

Categories »

d. past definite n. (also preterite definite) the name in French Grammar of the tense which coincides historically with the Latin preterite or perfect, and corresponds in sense to the Greek aorist and English simple past: e.g. il vint, he came.

3. Botany.

a. Said of inflorescence having the central axis terminated in a flower-bud which opens first, those on the lateral branches following in succession: also called centrifugal or determinate.

ΚΠ

1876 J. D. Hooker Bot. Primer 45 Definite, because the axis is terminated by a flower and does not elongate.

1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. v. 144 The kinds of Inflorescence..are all reducible to two types..Indefinite and Definite, or..Indeterminate and Determinate.

b. Of stamens or other parts of the flower: Of a constant number not exceeding twenty.

ΚΠ

1839 J. Lindley School Bot. iv. 32 Stamens definite; that is to say, obviously corresponding in number with the sepals and petals.

B. n.

1. Something that is definite; spec. in Grammar: †(a) a definite tense (obsolete); (b) a noun denoting a definite thing or object.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > tense > [noun] > other specific tenses

definite1530

incipient1866

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 31 The fyrst [conjugation] is chefly ruled by E, saufe that in his diffynites he torneth into A.

1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. 144 Fancy..has no other counters to play with, but fixities and definites.

a1831 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) I. 55 The Latin nouns in io [as actio] seem properly to have been definites; that is to say, that they originally signified only a certain number of acts, and not action in general.

†2. ‘Thing explained or defined’ (Johnson). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > [noun] > a certainty, fact

soothc1374

certain1377

surety?a1475

probatum1594

experient1605

certaintya1616

factum1641

matter of breviary1694

definite1726

fixity1817

a settled thing (or matter)1819

monty1894

1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 110 Special Bastardy is nothing else but the Definition of the general, and the general again, is nothing else but a Definite of the Special.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	definite
释义	definiteadj.n. Brit. /ˈdɛf(ᵻ)nᵻt/, U.S. /ˈdɛf(ə)nət/ Forms: Also 1500s diffynite, 1600s definit. Etymology: < Latin dēfīnītus defined, bounded, limited, distinct, precise, past participle of dēfīnīre : see define v. Compare obsolete French définit, -ite (1504 in Godefroy). A. adj. 1. a. Having fixed or exact limits; clearly defined, determinate, fixed, certain; exact, precise. (Of material, or, more commonly, immaterial things.) ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > definite or determinate firm1377 determinatec1386 certain1393 determinablec1400 precisec1443 finite1493 well-defined1551 definite1553 determined1570 set1594 perfixed1601 formed1605 punctual1615 well-marked1620 definitive1624 determinated1635 determinativea1676 clear-cut1843 the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > [adjective] > defined, well-formed well-assureda1413 definite1553 firm1600 well-founded1608 stated1651 well-establisheda1685 ironclad1838 rock-bottom1889 1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 1 Either it is an infinite question and without ende, or els it is definite and comprehended within some ende..Those questions are called definite, which set forthe a matter, with the..namyng of place, tyme, and persone. 1593 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia 74 The goddess, who in a definite compass can set forth infinite beauty. 1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 1 Either by the definite will of God so ruling, or the peculiar sway of nature, which also is Gods working. 1691 W. Petty Treat. Naval Philos. in T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 122 The clear and definite understanding of the several parts of the Ship. 1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 50 In a charge of Adultery, the Accuser ought to set forth..some certain and definite time. 1813 C. Lamb in Philanthropist Jan. 53 Those uneasy sensations..worse to bear than any definite pains or aches. 1859 C. Dickens Let. 26 Jan. (1997) IX. 17 I must give some decided and definite answer. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxiv. 174 A definite structure was in many places to be traced. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People v. §4. 238 Even this class [serfs] had now acquired definite rights. b. transferred. Said of persons, in reference to their actions (opinions, statements, etc.). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > [adjective] sickerc1100 bolda1300 surec1330 trist1340 certain1362 traista1400 tresta1400 ensurec1430 suredc1450 absolute1483 firm1483 resolute1501 assured1523 satisfied1533 unperplexed1558 unblanked1570 resolved1577 secure1578 clear1604 constant1611 ungravelled1611 confidenta1616 definitea1616 fearless1634 decretory1651 positive1658 unbrangled1671 cocksure1672 convinced1685 reliant1702 unbewildereda1807 positivistic1893 hensure1929 tooting1932 a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. vi. 44 Idiots in this case of fauour, would Be wisely definit . View more context for this quotation a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) ii. vii. §7. 277 As definite as hee was in appointing the set time of the dissolution of Babilon. 1894 N.E.D. at Definite Mod. Be more definite in your statements. c. definite description n. Philosophy in the theory of descriptions proposed by Bertrand Russell, a denoting phrase that is introduced by the definite article or its equivalent. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > philosophy of language > language theories of individual philosophers > [noun] > theory or elements of theory of Bertrand Russell object word1876 correspondence theory1902 object language1905 definite description1911 1911 B. Russell in Proc. Aristotelian Soc. 1910–11 XI. v. 112 A phrase of the form ‘a so-and-so’ I shall call an ‘ambiguous’ description; a phrase of the form ‘the so-and-so’ (in the singular) I shall call a ‘definite’ description. 1944 M. Weitz in Schilpp Philos. B. Russell 117 The best example of analysis as contextual definition in Russell..is his analysis of definite descriptions. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XI. 49/2 The correct analysis of propositions containing definite descriptions has been the subject of considerable philosophical controversy. 1977 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 1976 21 143 We are..obliged to accept that in some sense ‘Smith's murderer’ is not even a definite description, if used referentially. 2. Grammar. a. Applied, in German and Early English grammar, to those inflections of the adjective which are used when preceded by the definite article or some equivalent. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > adjective > [adjective] > other specific types of adjective qualitative1872 definite1874 heterological1926 projectile1929 classifying1952 1874 R. Morris Chaucer's Prol., etc. (Clar. Press Ser.) Introd. 33 Adjectives, like the modern German, have two forms—Definite and Indefinite. The definite form preceded by the definite article, a demonstrative adjective, or a possessive pronoun, terminates in -ë in all cases of the singular. b. Of verbs: = finite. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective] > finite definite1728 definitive1731 finite1795 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Definite, in Grammar, is applied to an Article, or a Tense of a Verb, that has a precise, determinate Signification... I have loved, is a Preter-Perfect Definite. 1765 W. Ward Ess. Gram. iv. ii. 158 The verb in this character [i.e. infinitive] may be..used as a nominative case, on which a definite verb depends. c. definite article n. the demonstrative determiner the, and its equivalents in other languages, as indicating a defined or particularized individual of the species denoted by the noun. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > determiner > [noun] > article > definite definite article1728 definitive1751 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Definite, in Grammar, is applied to an Article, or a Tense of a Verb, that has a precise, determinate Signification. 1765 W. Ward Ess. Gram. i. xxii. 103 ‘The’ is called the definite article. 1795 L. Murray Eng. Gram. 22 The is called the definite article, because it ascertains what particular thing is meant; as, give me the book. 1855 D. Forbes Hindústání Gram. (1868) 18 Arabic nouns have frequently the definite article..of the language prefixed to them. Categories » d. past definite n. (also preterite definite) the name in French Grammar of the tense which coincides historically with the Latin preterite or perfect, and corresponds in sense to the Greek aorist and English simple past: e.g. il vint, he came. 3. Botany. a. Said of inflorescence having the central axis terminated in a flower-bud which opens first, those on the lateral branches following in succession: also called centrifugal or determinate. ΚΠ 1876 J. D. Hooker Bot. Primer 45 Definite, because the axis is terminated by a flower and does not elongate. 1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. v. 144 The kinds of Inflorescence..are all reducible to two types..Indefinite and Definite, or..Indeterminate and Determinate. b. Of stamens or other parts of the flower: Of a constant number not exceeding twenty. ΚΠ 1839 J. Lindley School Bot. iv. 32 Stamens definite; that is to say, obviously corresponding in number with the sepals and petals. B. n. 1. Something that is definite; spec. in Grammar: †(a) a definite tense (obsolete); (b) a noun denoting a definite thing or object. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > tense > [noun] > other specific tenses definite1530 incipient1866 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 31 The fyrst [conjugation] is chefly ruled by E, saufe that in his diffynites he torneth into A. 1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. 144 Fancy..has no other counters to play with, but fixities and definites. a1831 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) I. 55 The Latin nouns in io [as actio] seem properly to have been definites; that is to say, that they originally signified only a certain number of acts, and not action in general. †2. ‘Thing explained or defined’ (Johnson). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > [noun] > a certainty, fact soothc1374 certain1377 surety?a1475 probatum1594 experient1605 certaintya1616 factum1641 matter of breviary1694 definite1726 fixity1817 a settled thing (or matter)1819 monty1894 1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 110 Special Bastardy is nothing else but the Definition of the general, and the general again, is nothing else but a Definite of the Special. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1530
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