Extended Definitions.docx - How to Give an Extended...

How to Give an Extended Definition
The first consideration is that a word doesn’t have one “right” meaning. There are more
ideas or concepts than there are words, so the same word has to mean different things at
different times. Conversely, different words or phrases can be used to name the same
concept. What is necessary for clear thinking is that the parties to the conversation know
what concept they are dealing with at any time. Therefore, when it comes to giving an
extended definition, don’t define the word —rather explain the concept , and show why it’s
important that the reader have clearly in mind the same concept you have in mind.
So a definition is partly fact (“This is what this word means when civil engineers use it”) and
partly reasoned opinion.
There are a few cautions to observe in putting together your logical definition. Don’t create a
circular definition—don’t, that is, define a word in terms of itself, as in “Patriotism is the
quality of being a patriot.” And definition by metaphor is not a logical definition, though it
can have its uses: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” can convey something true,
but it doesn’t do the work of a definition, which is to tell us what patriotism is.