Definitiones

Definitiones is the Latin plural of definitio, meaning definitions. In Latin, definitiones are statements that assign meaning to a term or delimit its scope by naming essential characteristics. The concept of a definition has long occupied central space in rhetoric, grammar, logic, and philosophy, and Latin authors often used definitiones to explain or fix the sense of words in texts.

Etymology and form: definitio comes from definire, meaning to bound or fix. The feminine noun definitio has the plural definitiones in Latin. The term appears across classical, medieval, and modern Latin writings, including dictionaries and scholastic glossaries, where multiple definitions may be discussed or listed.

Historical context and types: In ancient and medieval thought, a good definition aimed to express the thing’s essence and to delimit its genus and differentia. Aristotle and later scholastics treated definitions as precise statements that identify what a thing is. Latin discussions of definitiones often reflect this emphasis on clarity and universality. Types of definitions include ostensive (by pointing to examples), lexical (reflecting common usage), stipulative (proposing a new sense), and analytical or genus-differentia definitions that specify the essential traits.

Modern usage and relevance: In Latin-language contexts, definitiones appear in dictionaries, grammars, and scholarly works, and the plural form is used when listing or contrasting several definitions. The concept remains a basic topic in philosophy of language, logic, and pedagogy, with continental and historical texts frequently treating definitiones as a foundational device for linguistic and conceptual analysis.

See also: definition, definitio, definire, genus, differentia, ostensive definition, lexical definition, stipulative definition.