context

[ kon-tekst ]

noun

1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect:

   You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.

2. the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.

   Synonyms: climate, milieu, background

3. Mycology. the fleshy fibrous body of the pileus in mushrooms.

context

/ ˈkɒntɛkst /

noun

1. the parts of a piece of writing, speech, etc, that precede and follow a word or passage and contribute to its full meaning

   it is unfair to quote out of context

2. the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to an event, fact, etc

Other Words From

• context·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of context¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin contextus “a joining together, scheme, structure,” past participle of contexere “to join by weaving,” equivalent to con- con- + texere “to plait, weave”; text

Word History and Origins

Origin of context¹

C15: from Latin contextus a putting together, from contexere to interweave, from com- together + texere to weave, braid

Example Sentences

To put this in context, up to 20-50% of the heat used to transform raw materials into consumer goods ends up being wasted, costing the United States economy over $200 billion annually.

From Science Daily

The Florida Freedom to Read Project and similar organizations around the country have called for thorough public reviews of challenged books to prevent one scene or passage from being taken out of context.

From Los Angeles Times

The Human Tissue Act only bans "commercial dealings" of human tissue in the context of medical transplantation, rather than sale as artefacts.

From BBC

They also used a technique called optogenetics to turn parts of this brain circuit on or off in different emotional and behavioral contexts while measuring the animals' breathing and behavior.

From Science Daily

Music has always had strong emotional impact on human listeners in both contemporary and ancient cultures, hence its use in ritual religious and mythological contexts.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• background
• situation
• text

More About Context

What is context?

Context is a noun that means the parts of a statement that immediately precede or follow a specific section of the statement and help explain that section. 

The context of a specific text clarifies the meaning of that text, as in When the politician was asked to apologize for lying, he claimed that he had been quoted out of context and that he wasn’t actually lying. 

Context is also the conditions related to an event or situation that helps a person understand the event or situation. Conditions can include surroundings (where something took place), circumstances (what else was happening at the time), and background (such as events that happened before). For example, the context of a historical event, such as what else was happening at the time and how people understood their environment, can help us better understand the event itself.

One common expression that uses word context is context clues. Context clues are hints within a piece of writing that help us understand something unfamiliar, such as a word. For example, if you came across the word ethereal in a text, context clues could help you figure out that it means “delicate” and “beautiful.” 

Another common expression that includes the word context is out of context. This expression is used to explain that the reason people understood a statement or text incorrectly was because the statement was removed from its surrounding text, which distorted its meaning. 

Example: Understanding the historical and scientific contexts of the Romantic period are essential to understanding Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.”

Where does context come from?

The first records of the term context come from around the late 1300s to early 1400s. It comes from the Latin word contextus, meaning “a joining together, scheme, or structure.” 

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of context?

• contextless (adjective)
• contextual (adjective)
• contexture (noun)
• contextomy (noun)

What are some synonyms for context?

• framework
• circumstances
• background
• situation
• text

What are some words that share a root or word element with context? 

• contextualize
• contextualism
• context of situation

What are some words that often get used in discussing context?

• clues
• cultural
• broader

How is context used in real life?

The word context is a fairly common word used to refer to conditions or situations that give meaning to an event or behavior. It’s also commonly used to refer to the words surrounding a specific word or words in a text that give the text its meaning.

The best feeling in language learning is when you learn a new word, and then immediately see it again in an unrelated context. And you think, ‘I would have had no idea what this word meant if I had seen it last week, but now I do. I’m learning!’

— Fingtam Languages (@fingtamLangs) January 15, 2021

I think my favorite part about tweeting is that you don’t have to provide any context. You just say.

— C (@Frm79th) January 17, 2021

Please read this thread if you are considering tweeting offensive or otherwise problematic things you believe are self-evidently “irony” or “sarcasm”

It will not work. It will not land. It will not matter years later when people see those tweets “out of context.”

This is why.

— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 5, 2021

 

Try using context!

True or False?

The context of a situation is what results from the situation.