What is Definition?
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term or type of thing.The term to be define is the 'definiendum'. A term may have many different senses or meanings. For each such specific sense, a definens is a cluster of words that defines that term.
A chief difficulty in managing definition is the need to use other terms that are already understood or whose definitions are easily obtainable. The use of the term in a simple in a example may suffice. By contrast, a dictionary definition has additional details, typically including an etymology showing snapshots of the earlier meaning and the parent language.
Like other words, the term definition has subtly different meanings in different contexts. A definition may be descriptive of the general use meaning, or stipulative of the speaker's immediate international meaning. For example, in formal languages like mathematics, a "stipulative" definition guides a specific discussion. A descriptive definition can be shown to be "right" or "wrong" by comparison to general usage, but a stipulative definition can only be disproved by showing a logical contradiction.
Recursive Definitions
A recursive definition, sometimes also called in inductive definition, is one that defines a word in terms of itself, so to speak, albeit in a useful way. Normally this consists of three steps:
At least one thing is stated to be a member of the set being defined, this is sometimes called a "base set".
So '0' will have exactly one successor, which for convenience we can call "1". In turn, "1" will have exactly one successor which we would call "2" and so on, Notice that the second condition in the definition itself refers to natural numbers.
Work Definitions
A work definition is either chosen for an occasion and may nor fully conform with established or authoritative definitions. Not knowing of established definitions would be grounds for selecting or devising a working definition.
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term or type of thing.The term to be define is the 'definiendum'. A term may have many different senses or meanings. For each such specific sense, a definens is a cluster of words that defines that term.
A chief difficulty in managing definition is the need to use other terms that are already understood or whose definitions are easily obtainable. The use of the term in a simple in a example may suffice. By contrast, a dictionary definition has additional details, typically including an etymology showing snapshots of the earlier meaning and the parent language.
Like other words, the term definition has subtly different meanings in different contexts. A definition may be descriptive of the general use meaning, or stipulative of the speaker's immediate international meaning. For example, in formal languages like mathematics, a "stipulative" definition guides a specific discussion. A descriptive definition can be shown to be "right" or "wrong" by comparison to general usage, but a stipulative definition can only be disproved by showing a logical contradiction.
Recursive Definitions
A recursive definition, sometimes also called in inductive definition, is one that defines a word in terms of itself, so to speak, albeit in a useful way. Normally this consists of three steps:
At least one thing is stated to be a member of the set being defined, this is sometimes called a "base set".
- All things bearing a certain relation to other member of the set are also to count as members of the set. It is this step that makes the definition recursive.
- All other things are excluded from the set.
- "0" is a natural number.
- Each natural number has a distinct successor.
So '0' will have exactly one successor, which for convenience we can call "1". In turn, "1" will have exactly one successor which we would call "2" and so on, Notice that the second condition in the definition itself refers to natural numbers.
Work Definitions
A work definition is either chosen for an occasion and may nor fully conform with established or authoritative definitions. Not knowing of established definitions would be grounds for selecting or devising a working definition.