Määratuse

Määratuse is the Estonian term used to denote a definition—a statement that assigns the meaning of a word, term, or concept and clarifies its boundaries. Definitions are foundational in language, logic, mathematics, and science, guiding how terms are used and understood.

A definition aims to fix the extension (what it covers) and the intension (the meaning or properties that make something count as an instance of the term), and to separate it from related concepts. Definitions can be lexical, stipulative, precising, theoretical, or operational.

Lexical definitions describe current usage in dictionaries; stipulative definitions assign a meaning to a new term; precising definitions narrow or sharpen a term’s scope for a specific context; theoretical definitions tie a term to a broader theory; operational definitions specify observable procedures or measurements to determine when a property holds.

In mathematics and logic, definitions introduce primitive notions and specify necessary and sufficient conditions; a good definition avoids circularity, ambiguity, and excessive vagueness. They are designed to be as precise as the discipline requires, yet comprehensible to the intended audience.

Examples illustrate how definitions function in practice. A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself; a rectangle is a parallelogram with four right angles. Ostensive definitions, which rely on example or demonstration, are also common in everyday language and teaching.

Use and evaluation of a definition depend on context and purpose. Clear definitions facilitate communication, reduce misunderstanding, and support reasoning, argument, and education.