Defined

How to spell defined

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce defined

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does defined mean?

1. verbStated or described the exact nature or meaning of something, in the past.
2. adjectiveHaving a clear outline, shape, or precise character.

Defined in a sentence

• verb

  The contract clearly defined each party's responsibilities.

• adjective

  The new policy gave the team a clearly defined goal.

• verb

  The dictionary defined the term in a single sentence.

• adjective

  Months of training left his shoulders firm and well defined.

Where does defined come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past tense of 'define', which travelled into English from the Latin verb definire, meaning 'to set bounds to' or 'to fix the limits of'. That verb was built from the prefix de-, here adding the sense of completeness, and finire, 'to finish or limit', which itself comes from finis, the Latin word for a boundary, border, or end. English took the word through Old French definer during the 1300s, when it first carried the idea of stating exactly what something is, in effect drawing a boundary around its meaning. The same finis root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'finish', 'final', and 'infinite', so the spelling keeps a single 'f' and the 'fin' that marks a limit. The trap for writers is the unstressed first syllable, which sounds like 'duh' but is spelled 'de-', not 'di-'.

How the word is built

• de- (completely)
• fin (from Latin finis: boundary, limit)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)