syntax
Rarely syntaxis .Linguistics.
the study of the rules and patterns by which sentences and phrases are formed in a language.
the rules or patterns so studied: Some people find English syntax hard to master.
a presentation of these rules or patterns: His syntax of German is famous in the field.
an instance of these rules or patterns: The syntax of that sentence is odd.
Computers. the grammatical rules and structural patterns governing the ordered use of appropriate words and symbols for issuing commands, writing code, etc., in a particular software application or programming language.
Logic.
the branch of modern logic that studies the various kinds of signs that occur in a system and the possible arrangements of those signs, without reference to their meaning.
the outcome of such a study when directed upon a specified language.
a system or orderly arrangement.
Origin of syntax
1Words Nearby syntax
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use syntax in a sentence
When it comes to metadata, you need to make sure that the syntax is exact.
Don’t lose sleep over the Page Experience Update and more; Friday’s daily brief | Barry Schwartz | February 26, 2021 | Search Engine LandAs I learned, many language researchers dispute that Koko and other gorillas actually learned sign language, arguing that they didn’t learn its syntax and had instead just mastered a few modified American Sign Language signs.
Solution to Evan Birnholz’s Jan. 31 Post Magazine crossword, “That Makes No Sense” | Evan Birnholz | January 31, 2021 | Washington PostIn many cases, the task a model is trained on does not force it to care about word order or syntax in general.
Jumbled-up sentences show that AIs still don’t really understand language | Will Heaven | January 12, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewTree shaking doesn’t always work well with older libraries due to the moving goalposts of keeping up with modern syntax and coding patterns.
Google’s Lighthouse is now recommending JavaScript library alternates | Detlef Johnson | January 5, 2021 | Search Engine LandPersonally I’ve been doing a lot of work on the relationship between syntax and sociolinguistics.
Talking Is Throwing Fictional Worlds at One Another - Issue 89: The Dark Side | Kevin Berger | September 9, 2020 | Nautilus
The style is stuffy, the syntax is antique, and the conceit is never really convincing.
Robin Sloan’s Book Bag: Five Science Fiction Books That Matter | Robin Sloan | September 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTButler's syntax sometimes gets in the way of understanding what she's asserting as fact.
From the syntax, it's a separate item, as if the requirement for the loyalty oath is law.
syntax aside, the real consideration is the degree to which Romney can afford to alienate Hispanic Americans.
Mitt Romney Is a Lot Like Thomas E. Dewey, the Equivocating Loser to Truman | Robert Shrum | June 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIf you did learn to read it, you would discover the alienness of the syntax and structure.
Why I’ve Learned Many Languages by Aravind Adiga | Aravind Adiga | February 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom these shapeless rudiments we have, it is true, an immense distance to travel before we arrive at syntax.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)As between Provençal and French this comparison would be between words, rather than in syntax.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred DownerHis is ill syntax with heaven; and by unfeared he means unafraid: Words of a quite contrary signification.
The Works Of John Dryden, Volume 4 (of 18) | John DrydenIt might have invented fresh inflections, and shaped its own syntax.
American Sketches | Charles WhibleyFor the same feature in syntax see the division of simple sentences on p. 252.
British Dictionary definitions for syntax
/ (ˈsɪntæks) /
the branch of linguistics that deals with the grammatical arrangement of words and morphemes in the sentences of a language or of languages in general
the totality of facts about the grammatical arrangement of words in a language
a systematic statement of the rules governing the grammatical arrangement of words and morphemes in a language
logic a systematic statement of the rules governing the properly formed formulas of a logical system
any orderly arrangement or system
Origin of syntax
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for syntax
Notes for syntax
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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