definition

The (Delicious) Definition Essay Page:

What is a definition essay?

Look it up.

Not a very satisfying answer is it?

"Look it up, it'll mean more..."

Or, how about when you look up a word and the definition just gives you more words you don't know and when you look those up you get sent back to the original word...Yuck!

Please remember these things as you begin to develop your own definition essay.

It is not a dictionary definition.

Let's get that understood right away.

Dictionaries are written by historians, not by rule makers, not by definition makers.

They get written by people who collect on little cards the ways words are used.

They put the cards into different piles if the words seem to be used differently.

Whichever pile is biggest gets to be definition #1 in the dictionary.

It's not the dictionary writers, it is we the people who create the meanings.

So, you might want to use a dictionary quote as a way to begin your essay, but you've still got a long way to go.

Some words, things you'd like to define, stand for material objects. If you dropped one on your toe, you'd feel it.

Things such as: lima beans, pencils, typewriters, your cousin Marjorey, this computer etc.

Some words represent non-material things. You can't pick them up let alone let one drop.

Examples: love, hate, democracy, ideas, and a whole bunch of words that end in "ism"--capitalism, communism, nationalism, romanticism, etc...

Generally essays are more often needed for the non-material words.

Material words can be understood by just pointing to the object. Or dropping it on someone's foot.

But you can't point to love or fear or romanticism or transcendentalism or liberal or conservative.

These are terms that need a great deal of explaining if you and I are to understand them in ways similar enough to foster communication.

This is important, because we could get into a fist fight over what democracy means or whether or not Christ was a communist.

As a matter of fact we could get into a war, or at least lose a good friend.

So. Choose a term/idea/concept/philosophy/religious viewpoint that you feel you understand well enough to explain so clearly that we will not get into a fistfight.

Brainstorm a few ideas: What would be some topics that would be interesting to explain?

Ready to try an Exploratory Draft?

If you're not ready to do a draft, you will probably find doing a "map" or "cluster" useful.

Here's where to go to learn how: Prewriting Page

Another great idea: dialogue with your MOP about the term. Is this a great program or what?

Revision: Other people will be especially helpful here. Just ask your reader to point out what he does not understand and fix it. If you are really lucky you will find someone who disagrees with your definition. Listen to her! See if you can defend yourself.

Whoa! I just remembered something. In general the verb "to be" (is, are, were, be, been etc) is weak. In a definition it is particularly weak. Try to avoid that verb, use, instead action verbs:

Democracy is a form of government.

becomes

Democracy establishes a process to maintain a government.

For more about how action verbs rule over the verb "to be", see the article in the Ideas Section about E-Prime.