Definition Essay

Defining, explaining what terms mean or what terms mean or what their essential characteristics are is central to learning, whether at home, work, or school. On the job, employees need to be familiar with the terms used at their place of employment and in their career field. In college courses, textbooks contain numerous definitions, and students frequently demonstrate their understanding of course material on tests by recognizing or writing definitions. In college, you will be asked to write two types of definitions: 1) sentence definitions and 2) expanded definitions, in which you elaborate on a term by adding further explanation.

Writing Sentence Definitions

Sentence definitions have a traditional form that makes them easy to write. To write a clear, effective sentence definition follow these guidelines:

1. Use the conventional, three-part form. A sentence definition consists of three sections: 1) the term being defined, 2) the general category to which the term belongs, and 3) the special characteristics that make the term distinct from others in its class. In the following two examples, the term, category, and characteristics are underlined and labeled.

A buteo (term) is a type of hawk (category) with a heavy body and a short, wide tail (characteristics).

The Haida (term) are several Native American tribes (category) who speak the Haida language who live in Alaska, British Columbia, Prince of Wales Island, and the Queen Charlotte Islands (characteristics).

Be clear and simple. Ask yourself whether your definition will be clear to readers who are unfamiliar with the term and are depending on you to help them understand. Never use a form of te word you are defining in your definition: To say that "fibrinolysis is the breakdown of fibrin by the action of fibrinolysin" is not helpful. Never use terms more complicated than the term you are defining: To define the femur as "the proximal bone of the lower or hind leg in vertebrates" is less helpful than calling it the thigh bone.

Do not quote a dictionary. If your readers wanted a dictionary definition, they could easily find one. However, definitions in dictionaries, due to the limitations of space, are often unclear and confusing.

Writing Expanded Definitions

Although a sentence definition provides the meaning of a term, it may be inadequate to give your reader a complete understanding of the term. These three guidelines will help you write an extended:

1. Focus on your purpose. Occasionally writers make the mistake of rambling on aimlessly about the term they're defining, so their definitions are unfocused and disorganized. Keep in mind that your purpose is to define the term for your readers, so you should include only information that clarifies the meaning of your term. Consider your audience. If you are writing for coworkers, avoid defining terms they already know, but be careful to define all terms they may be unfamiliar with. In college writing., choose topics about which you have some personal experience, insight, or knowledge, so that you will be able to say something original and interesting. Avoid writing about large abstractions, such as "love" or "liberty." Although these abstractions may seem easy to talk about, they are difficult to define; in fact, entire books are devoted to the effort.

2. Use rhetorical strategies. Any of the rhetorical strategies discussed in this section may be helpful in writing an expanded definition. For example, you may clarify a term by describing it, giving examples, telling a story, or explaining its causes or effects. In addition, you may also be able to define by negation, that is, by telling what your term is not. Defining by nation may be especially helpful as a starting point because it allows you to distinguish your term from other similar terms and therefore eliminates confusion.