Webster's English Dictionary

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semantics

se.man.tics \si-'mant-iks\ n pl but sing or pl in constr  1: the study of 
   meanings :  1a: the historical and psychological study and the 
   classification of change s in the signification of words or forms viewed as 
   factors in linguistic development 1b1: SEMIOTIC  1b2: a branch of semiotic 
   dealing with the relations between signs and what  they refer to and 
   including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth 2: GENERAL 
   SEMANTICS  3a: the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of 
   signs; e sp : connotative meaning 3b: the exploitation of connotation and 
   ambiguity (as in propaganda)