Writing Definitions

Purposes

• Definitions clarify a description of a new development or a new technology in a technical field
• Definitions help specialists communicate with a wider public (non-specialists)

Think about the audience

• For longer documents, create a glossary
• Use simplified english and easily recognizable terms in definitions
• Pay close attention to key terms and when to introduce them
• Use graphics to help readers understand a term or concept
• Basic understanding vs. complex understanding

Types of definitions

• Parenthetical definition
• Sentence definitions
• Extended definitions

Parenthetical Definitions

• A parenthetical definition is a brief clarification within an existing sentence.
• Ex: The computers were infected by a Trojan horse (a destructive program that appears to be benign).
• Ex: Remember to use gerunds: a term for a verb that functions as a noun and usually ends in -ing.

Parenthetical definitions are not meant to be comprehensive; rather, they serve as quick and convenient ways of introducing terms

Don't include complex terms

• Ex: Next, check for blight on the epicotyl, the stem portion above the cotyledons

Sentence Definitions

• A sentence definition is a one sentence clarification and is more formal than a parenthetical definition
• A sentence definition usually follows a standard pattern: the item to be defined is placed in a category of similar items and then distinguished from them

Examples

• Crippleware is shareware in which some features of the program are disabled until the user buys a license to use the program
• Hegemony is a social theory concept in which the dominant classes rule through a combination of coercion and consent

Tips for writing effect sentence definitions

• Be specific in stating the category and the distinguishing characteristics
• Don't describe a specific item if you are defining a general class of terms
• Avoid writing circular definitions
• Be sure the category contains a noun or a noun phrase rather than when, what or where

Extended Definitions

• An extended definition is a more detailed explanation --usually one or more paragraphs --of an object, process, or idea.
• Often begins with a sentence definition and then elaborated

Ways to "Extend" a Definition

• Graphics
• Examples
• Partition: process of dividing a thing or idea into smaller parts
• Principle of Operation: describing the way something works
• Comparison and contrast
• Etymology

Ways to "Extend" a Definition

• Negation: clarifies a term by distinguishing it from a different term with which readers might confuse it
• Ex: An ambulatory patient is not a patient who must be moved by ambulance. On the contrary, an ambulatory patient is one who can walk without assistance from another person.

Ways to "Extend" a Definition

• Analogy: the item being defined is compared to an item that is in some ways completely different but that shares some essential characteristics
• Ex: using the analogy of gutting a house to clarify the meaning of decellularization

Where to place a definition

• In the text
• In a marginal gloss
• In a hyperlink
• In a footnote