syntax
[ sin-taks ]
/ ˈsɪn tæks /
noun
Linguistics.
- the study of the rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language.
- the study of the patterns of formation of sentences and phrases from words.
- the rules or patterns so studied: English syntax.
- a presentation of these: a syntax of English.
- an instance of these: the syntax of a sentence.
Logic.
- that branch of modern logic that studies the various kinds of signs that occur in a system and the possible arrangements of those signs, complete abstraction being made of the meaning of the signs.
- the outcome of such a study when directed upon a specified language.
a system or orderly arrangement.
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.
Words nearby syntax
Example sentences from the Web for syntax
British Dictionary definitions for syntax
syntax
/ (ˈsɪntæks) /
noun
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
Word Origin for syntax
C17: from Late Latin
syntaxis, from Greek
suntaxis, from
suntassein to put in order, from
syn- +
tassein to arrange
Cultural definitions for syntax
syntax
The sequence in which words are put together to form sentences. In English, the usual sequence is subject, verb, and object.
notes for syntax
Syntactic languages, such as English, use word order to indicate word relationships. Inflected languages (
see
inflection), such as Greek and
Latin, use word endings and other inflections to indicate relationships.