nondefinite
|non-def-i-nite|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.dɪˈfɪn.ɪt/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.dɪˈfɪn.ɪt/
not clearly defined
Etymology
'nondefinite' originates from English, formed by the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') + 'definite' (from Latin 'definitus', from 'definire' meaning 'to limit, determine').
'definite' came into English via Late Latin 'definitus' (from 'definire') and through Old French/Middle English into modern English; 'non-' has long been used as a productive negative prefix in English, producing 'nondefinite' as a compound/derivative.
Initially, 'definite' concerned limiting or setting boundaries; 'nondefinite' developed as a straightforward negative formation meaning 'not definite' and has been used both in general senses (vague, uncertain) and technical grammatical senses (lacking definiteness).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not definite; vague, not clearly defined, or uncertain.
The schedule for the project is nondefinite, so we can't set exact deadlines yet.
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Adjective 2
(Linguistics) Lacking grammatical definiteness; not marked as definite (e.g., lacking a definite article).
In the analysis, the researcher labeled those noun phrases as nondefinite to show they lack a definite article.
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Last updated: 2025/12/01 01:56