a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"
(patent law) a document drawn up by the applicant for a patent of invention that provides an explicit and detailed description of the nature and use of an invention
a detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work
the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; "in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing"
a general conscious awareness; "a sense of security"; "a sense of happiness"; "a sense of danger"; "a sense of self"
a natural appreciation or ability; "a keen musical sense"; "a good sense of timing"
the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted; "the dictionary gave several senses for the word"; "in the best sense charity is really a duty"; "the signifier is linked to the signified"
comprehend; "I sensed the real meaning of his letter"
become aware of not through the senses but instinctively; "I sense his hostility"
detect some circumstance or entity automatically; "This robot can sense the presence of people in the room"; "particle detectors sense ionization"
a conventional religious painting in oil on a small wooden panel; venerated in the Eastern Church
(computer science) a graphic symbol (usually a simple picture) that denotes a program or a command or a data file or a concept in a graphical user interface
a condition or position in which you find yourself; "the unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils"; "found herself in a very fortunate situation"
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; "the present international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation"- Franklin D.Roosevelt
a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple"
instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; "he bought a new stereo system"; "the system consists of a motor and a small computer"
the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole; "exercise helped him get the alcohol out of his system"
a group of physiologically or anatomically related organs or parts; "the body has a system of organs for digestion"
a complex of methods or rules governing behavior; "they have to operate under a system they oppose"; "that language has a complex system for indicating gender"
a procedure or process for obtaining an objective; "they had to devise a system that did not depend on cooperation"
a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole; "a vast system of production and distribution and consumption keep the country going"
(physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium; "in a static system oil cannot be replaced by water on a surface"; "a system generating hydrogen peroxide"
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes; "he collected cards and traded them with the other boys"
a card certifying the identity of the bearer; "he had to show his card to get in"
(golf) a record of scores (as in golf); "you have to turn in your card to get a handicap"
a rectangular piece of stiff paper used to send messages (may have printed greetings or pictures); "they sent us a card from Miami"
thin cardboard, usually rectangular
ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor; "I was carded when I tried to buy a beer!"