défini

Défini is the past participle of the French verb définir, meaning to define, determine, or specify. As an adjective, it agrees with the noun it modifies: défini (masculine singular), définie (feminine singular), définis (masculine plural), and définies (feminine plural). It can also appear in compound tenses in the active voice (il a défini) and in passive constructions (le cadre est défini).

Etymology: défini derives from Latin definire, through Old French defenir, with the sense of marking boundaries or states. The term has been used in legal, philosophical, and mathematical language since the Middle Ages and became common in modern French to express that something has been precisely specified or limited by a definition.

Usage in grammar and terminology: In French grammar, défini is used to describe things that are clearly specified or already identified in a given context, for example, « un terme défini » (a defined term) or « une règle définie » (a defined/established rule). In mathematical and scientific writing, it is used to indicate that an object, set, function, or value is fixed by a given definition, as in « une fonction définie sur l’intervalle [a, b] » or « un ensemble défini par une propriété ». The noun form is définition, meaning definition, with related terms such as définir (to define) and définitionnelle (definitional).

See also: Définition, définir, article défini, définitionnelle, ensemble défini.

Notes: The word is common in formal and technical French, and its meaning centers on the act or result of specifying boundaries, properties, or conditions through a definition.