Literary notes about defined (AI summary)
In literature, "defined" functions as a versatile tool that both clarifies abstract concepts and delineates physical or conceptual boundaries. Authors often use it to explain ideas by setting limits or exacting criteria; for example, Bertrand Russell speculates that knowledge could be defined as "true belief" [1] while Durkheim distinguishes specific rites through precise definition [2]. In more descriptive narrative, the term highlights clarity and sharp contours—Tolstoy’s characters are described as having more defined features [3], and Verne portrays natural elements with well-defined outlines [4]. In academic and grammatical texts, "defined" serves as an instrument for accuracy, specifying meaning and structure in diverse contexts such as Latin grammar entries [5, 6, 7]. Whether establishing the limits of dominions [8] or setting the components of personality [9], the word "defined" consistently acts as a bridge between vagueness and precise understanding within literature.
- At first sight we might imagine that knowledge could be defined as 'true belief'.
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell - The rites can be defined and distinguished from other human practices, moral practices, for example, only by the special nature of their object.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim - Her features were more defined and had a calm, soft, and serene expression.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Towards the northwest stood out the rugged and well-defined outlines of the sides of the volcano, like a gigantic claw hovering over the island.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - 514 Deponents , defined, 725 , 1486 ; imper.
— from A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges by George Martin Lane - Asyndetic , coordination, defined, 1637 ; in simple sentences, 1638-1642 ; between sentences or periods, 2123-2127 .
— from A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges by George Martin Lane - The English preposition "with" may be said to have three rather clearly defined different meanings.
— from A Complete Grammar of Esperanto by Ivy Kellerman Reed - The boundary line of his dominions was never clearly defined; but his principal park embraced a circuit of fifty miles.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - Personality may then be defined as the sum and organization of those traits which determine the rôle of the individual in the group.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park