Technical Definitions

When you think of the word "definition," what comes to mind? If you're like most people, you think of a dictionary's contents. What, then, does a dictionary definition contain?

Typically, dictionary definitions include a word's

• Standard spelling
• Syllable breaks
• Pronunciation
• Part of speech
• Meaning
• Current and archaic usage
• Etymology
• Synonyms/antonyms
• Variant spellings
• Variants including suffixes

If you've used a dictionary before, then none of these items should surprise you. Think, though... Are all dictionaries the same? And do they contain the same types of thing?

Not really. All dictionaries contain lists of words, but their contents are otherwise markedly different. A children's dictionary, for example, is much simpler and shorter than a "collegiate" dictionary, which is shorter and simpler than an unabridged dictionary, which pales in comparison to the Oxford English Dictionary, a two-volume monster that comes with a reinforced bookstand and its own magnifying glass.

All these different dictionaries share several characteristics, though, which are characteristics of any technical definition:

• their authors focus on a particular audience;
• their contents describe the object of attention;
• their contents clarify ambiguity;
• readers can use the contents to communicate across expertise levels; and
• readers can use the contents to solve problems.

At least one of these ideas should sound familiar. For example, focusing on a particular audience...haven't we mentioned that sometime before, in this very class?

As far as the other four elements go, the temptation is to say, "Well, yeah, of course. That's what a definition does." The trick, though, is to include the right information, structure it the right way, and build a good definition. That's what we'll talk about next.