Definition

1. Noun:
   • The accepted meaning of a word: The specific, conventional, or dictionary definition that a linguistic community agrees upon for a particular word or lexical unit. It refers to the concept or idea that a word represents.

Usage

• The term "word meaning" is used to discuss semantics, lexicography, and language learning. It focuses on the standard, denotative sense of a word, as opposed to personal interpretations or contextual nuances.
• It is often used in academic, linguistic, and educational contexts to analyze or clarify vocabulary.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The word meaning of "apple" is a round fruit with red or green skin and a whitish interior.
  • Dictionaries provide the standard word meaning for entries.
  • Understanding the precise word meaning is crucial for accurate translation.

Advanced Usage

• "To ascertain the word meaning": To find out or determine the accepted definition.
  • The student used a corpus to ascertain the word meaning.
• "Core word meaning": The central, most fundamental sense of a word, excluding extended or figurative uses.
  • The core word meaning of "cold" relates to low temperature.

Variants and Related Words

• Meaning (n): The idea that is represented by a word, phrase, etc. "Word meaning" is a specific type of meaning.
• Definition (n): A statement of the exact meaning of a word, often as found in a dictionary. A definition explains the word meaning.
• Semantics (n): The branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning, which studies word meaning among other things.
• Lexical meaning (n): The meaning of a word considered in isolation from the sentence structure, very similar to "word meaning".

Synonyms

• Definition
• Sense
• Signification (more formal)

Related Phrases

• Literal meaning: The most basic meaning of a word or phrase, without metaphor or exaggeration. This is often the primary word meaning.
• Denotation: The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas (connotations) that the word suggests. Denotation is essentially the word meaning.

Notes

• "Word meaning" is a compound noun. The explanation above treats it as a single lexical unit with its own specific definition, as per the reference context. It is distinct from discussing the separate words "word" and "meaning" independently.

Noun

1. the accepted meaning of a word