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terministic

terministic

9.6
To choose words that shape how people understand things
  • adjective
  • /ˌtɜːrmɪˈnɪstɪk/
translation icon : terminológico
  • The speaker's terministic choices shaped how the audience understood the complex issue.

Examples

  • Each field has its own terministic conventions that can influence how concepts are perceived.

  • When analyzing literature, it is important to be aware of the terministic strategies the author employs.

  • Until this three-year point, one might say in Burkean parlance that Reben and Smith share a relatively common "terministic screen."

    Academic text (2014)
  • Because of this interchange between terministic bias and our understandings of the world, it is crucial to examine rhetorical discourse in every arena.

    Academic text (2014)
  • His concept of the "terministic screen" places language within its cultural context, and the Burkean pentad of act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose provides a set of operatives for a "dramatistic" examination.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

terminological
vsterministic
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Describes the words people use in a particular subject or field

focuses on choosing or using terms rather than the whole term system

How Terminological

terministic
9.6
plain
264 1.0

Surface Forms

terministic positive

Morphology

terministic = term (semi-transparent) = termin + istic

The adjective is formed by the combining form 'termin-' plus the productive suffix '-istic', so learners who know 'term' can often infer 'relating to terms', but the altered form 'termin-' and the less common suffix '-istic' may obscure the relation for some learners.

Etymology

The word terministic comes from the Latin word terminus, which means 'boundary' or 'limit', and it shares the same root as the simple English word term. So calling something terministic points to the choice of particular words that set the limits of meaning and shape how people understand a topic.