English
definition
Definition comes from Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin dēfīnītiō, from dēfīniō ‘to bound, define’, from fīniō ‘to limit’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīnis1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīniō1‘set a limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfīniō2‘to bound’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfīnītiō2‘definition’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600definition2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diffinicioun2
- Englishearliest quotation 1925definition2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin definio
- 2 Wiktionary, English definition
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1925, Thomas R. Marshall, Recollections of Thomas R. Marshall: “DEFINITIONS mean nothing unless the concept in the mind…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīnisWiktionary, Latin definio
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīniōWiktionary, Latin definio‘set a limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfīniōWiktionary, English definition‘to bound’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfīnītiōWiktionary, English definition‘definition’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600definitionWiktionary, English definition
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diffiniciounWiktionary, English definition
- Englishearliest quotation 1925definitionWiktionary, English definition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1925, Thomas R. Marshall, Recollections of Thomas R. Marshall: “DEFINITIONS mean nothing unless the concept in the mind…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- ‘to stick, set up’
fix, dig, ditch, dyke, dike, crucify, 19 more
through Latin *fignis
finale, infinitesimal, 10 more
through Latin fīnis
final, finish, infinite, fin, infinity, finesse, financier, confine, affine, fino, finis, finial, 13 more
through Latin fīniō ‘set a limit, bound, end’
Today it means
noun A statement of the meaning of a word, word group, sign, or symbol; especially, a dictionary definition.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “definition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin definio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin fīnis / definition