Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DEF-IN-I'TION, n. [L. definitio. See Define.]

1. A brief description of a thing by its properties; as, a definition of wit, or of a circle.
2. In logic, the explanation of the essence of a thing by its kind and difference.
3. In lexicography, an explanation of the signification of a word or term, or of what a word is understood to express.