Given

Given is the past participle of the verb give and functions in English as both a verb form and an adjective. As an adjective, it describes something that has been specified, assumed, or provided as a fact. It is commonly used to indicate information that is taken as already established in a context, such as “the given data,” “the given conditions,” or “under the given circumstances.”

In mathematics, science, and problem solving, given denotes information assumed to be true for the purpose of reasoning or calculation. For example, a problem may begin “Given x = 3 and y > 0, prove …” The plural form givens refers to the set of facts or data provided for a particular task or proof. The term helps distinguish what is assumed from what is to be derived.

In everyday language, given can modify nouns to express that something is predetermined or assumed. Phrases such as “given the situation” or “given that” introduce a condition or premise for subsequent statements. The expression “given name” is a common use in onomastics and culture to denote a person’s first name, as opposed to a family name or surname.

Philosophically, the concept of the given has been discussed in phenomenology and related fields. It refers to the immediacy or givenness of experience—the aspects of perception that present themselves prior to interpretation or construction. Debates around the given often address how such immediacy relates to interpretation, memory, and language.

Etymology traces given to Old English giefan/gifan (to give); it is related to other Germanic roots such as Dutch geven and German geben. The term remains versatile across grammar, mathematics, general usage, and philosophy.