Definition

1. Noun:
   • A definition that demonstrates meaning by directly pointing to or showing examples: An ostensive definition explains a word or concept by physically indicating, presenting, or exhibiting one or more instances of the thing it represents, rather than using verbal descriptions or logical statements.

Usage

• An ostensive definition is primarily used in teaching, philosophy of language, and lexicography to establish the meaning of terms, especially concrete nouns, actions, or basic concepts, through direct demonstration.
• It is often employed when a verbal definition would be too complex, when defining terms to a child or language learner, or when explaining terms for which there is no simpler synonym.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The teacher gave an ostensive definition of 'red' by pointing to a red apple, a red ball, and a red crayon.
  • For a young child, the word 'dog' is often learned through an ostensive definition—by seeing actual dogs and having the word applied to them.
  • In his lecture on semantics, the professor explained that an ostensive definition is fundamental to linking language to the physical world.

Advanced Usage

• Limitations and Philosophy: In philosophical discourse, the ostensive definition is discussed for its role in grounding language but also for its potential ambiguity, as pointing to an object (e.g., a rabbit) could be misinterpreted as defining its color, its species, or its action at that moment.
• Formal Context: The term is used in academic writing about logic, language acquisition, and the foundations of knowledge.
  • Wittgenstein's later work examined the limits of ostensive definition in establishing a private language.

Variants and Related Words

• Ostensive (adj): Of, relating to, or constituting a direct demonstration.
  • The ostensive method of teaching vocabulary is highly effective for visual learners.
• Ostension (n): The act of showing or pointing out; demonstration.
  • The process of ostension is central to non-verbal communication.

Synonyms

• Demonstrative definition
• Definition by example
• Definition by pointing

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To define by ostension: This phrase is the verbal action corresponding to the noun.
  • It is easier to define 'salute' by ostension than to describe the precise arm motion in words.

Noun

1. a definition that points out or exhibits instances of the term defined