defining
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de·fine
(dĭ-fīn′)v. de·fined, de·fin·ing, de·fines
v.tr.
1.
a. To state the precise meaning of (a word or sense of a word, for example).
b. To describe the nature or basic qualities of; explain: define the properties of a new drug; a study that defines people according to their median incomes.
2.
a. To make clear the outline or form of; delineate: gentle hills that were defined against the sky.
b. To specify distinctly: define the weapons to be used in limited warfare.
3. To give form or meaning to: "For him, a life is defined by action" (Jay Parini).
v.intr.
To make or write a definition.
[Middle English definen, diffinen, from Old French definir, diffiner, from Latin dēfīnīre, to limit, determine : dē-, intensive pref.; see de- + fīnis, boundary, limit.]
de·fin′a·bil′i·ty n.
de·fin′a·ble adj.
de·fin′a·bly adv.
de·fine′ment n.
de·fin′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
de•fin•ing
(dɪˈfaɪ nɪŋ)adj.
decisive; critically important: Taking a course in architecture was a defining turn in her life.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  defining - any process serving to define the shape of somethingphysical process, process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states; "events now in process"; "the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls" |
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