Prewriting for Definition Essays
The word define comes from a Latin word that means "find the edges of something," or "mark out the boundaries or limits of something." Your definition essay should therefore explore the meaning of a word in the same way that you would explore a campsite—walking edge to edge, checking out the fire pit, figuring out where to pitch a tent, noticing where the trails lead, taking in the view. You need to explore the topic of your definition essay just as you would explore a place. In fact, the word topic comes from the Greek word for "place." These activities will help you explore your topic and set up camp within the word.
Prewriting to Select a Topic
The topic of your essay can be any word that fascinates you. It could be a word from a school subject or just a word that you find intriguing:
|
Subject |
Words |
|
Math |
angle, parallel, congruent, linear, average, significant, variable, fraction, difference, symbol |
|
Science |
force, mass, vector, field, wave, gravity, cycle, system, biome, organism, consciousness, microbe, process, symbol |
|
Social Studies |
era, policy, right, rule, produce, consume, conflict, genocide, compromise, belief, symbol |
|
Language |
thesis, argument, verb, preposition, literature, theme, character, mood, tone, symbol |
|
Life |
intrigue, nerd, geek, donnybrook, widdershins, eclectic, obtuse, inordinate, sensation, spectacle, symbol |
What word fascinates me most and why?
I often hear the words nerd and geek, but some people insist that they are nerds and not geeks and some that they are geeks and not nerds, and some people say they are both. I know these words used to be negatives, but a lot of people see them as positives. I'd like to know what the difference is between them and how they started to be used the way they are used now.
Note that each of these lists ends in the word symbol, which directly relates to each subject. Look back over the lists. Many of the other words in the individual lists also relate to the other subjects. For example, angle, parallel, congruent, linear, average, significant, variable, and so on relate not just to math but also to science, social studies, life, and language. The best topics for definition essays do not have one meaning but many meanings. (In other words, you could explore the word triangle or even equilateral over many pages, but you'd be hard pressed to write much about isosceles.)
Think of fascinating words and pick a topic.
Create a chart of interesting words from your school subjects and words that intrigue you from everyday life. Choose a word or a set of words that you want to explore in a definition essay.
Prewriting to Research Your Topic
As you have seen, an effective definition essay does far more than simply give the denotation (dictionary definition) of the word. It also explores the word's connotations (shades of meaning), etymology (origins), synonyms (words that mean the same thing), and antonyms (words that mean the opposite). It gives examples of the word and provides quotations from famous people. It uses logic and tells stories. To prepare to write your definition essay, you need to gather such details.
The student writing about nerd and geek gathered the following information about his words:
Nerd/Geek
|
Detail Type |
Research |
|
Denotation (dictionary definition) |
nerd: an [often socially awkward] person who is slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits (Webster) geek: an [often disliked] enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity; a know-it-all (Webster) |
|
Connotation (shades of meaning) |
nerd: “one whose IQ exceeds his weight,” “an individual persecuted for superior skills or intellect, most often by people who fear and envy him” (theodysseyonline.com) geek: geek has "come to mean something more like an empowered nerd. A nerd who is defined by his knowledge of a certain subject," Ben Nugent, author of American Nerd: The Story of My People (http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/02/nerd.or.geek/index.html) |
|
Etymology (origin) |
nerd: possibly from the "nerd" creature in If I Ran a Zoo by Dr. Seuss (Webster) geek: probably from Low German geck meaning "fool"; an unskilled carnival worker billed as a wild man whose act often included biting the head off a chicken (Webster) |
|
Synonyms |
nerd: egghead, geek, highbrow, intellectual, longhair, bookworm (Webster) geek: egghead, highbrow, intellectual, longhair, nerd (Webster) |
|
Antonyms |
nerd: slacker, underachiever, lowbrow (Webster) geek: anti-intellectual, lowbrow, philistine (Webster) |
|
Examples |
nerd: Two of the biggest icons [Mark Hamill and Stan Lee] for nerds palling around together is almost too much to handle. (Ryan Parker The Hollywood Reporter) geek: Across the Pacific, American geeks were eyeing their Japanese counterparts lustily. (Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED) |
|
Quotations |
Nerd: "A nerd can call another nerd a nerd." Travis Scott Nerd: "It's like many terms that were originally intended to offend; the team that was offended took it as its own as a badge of honour. . . . It's part of a cycle, that terms of abuse are turned around—in this case it has been socially turned around." (Neil Gaiman) Geek: "The substance of what it means to be a geek is essentially someone who's brave enough to love something against judgment. The heart of being a geek is a little bit of rejection." (Felicia Day) Geek: "I'm a geek." (Bill Gates) |
|
Other observations |
Nerd and geek have transformed due to the computer revolution and 50 years of re-appropriation. (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20325517) |
Teaching Tip
Though the student began with the tried-and-true Merriam-Webster's Dictionary for connotations, synonyms, antonyms, and etymology, he branched out to many other resources to explore the meaning of his words. These other resources helped reveal how the terms evolved in usage over time and showed how people use them in the modern context.
Research your term(s).
Search for a variety of details about your topic and gather them in a chart like the one above.
Prewriting to Create a Thesis Statement
After gathering details about your term(s), you should write a working thesis statement to focus your thinking. The thesis statement should name the topic of your essay and then provide a central insight or feeling about it.
Write a thesis statement.
Write down the term(s) you will define and an interesting thought or feeling. Then combine both into a single sentence that expresses your thesis.
Term(s) |
+ |
Thought or Feeling |
= |
Thesis Statement |
|
nerd and geek |
these one-time insults have become badges of honor |
With the rise of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, nerds and geeks have appropriated their one-time slurs to be badges of honor. |
Teaching Tip
Let students know that this working thesis statement provides a focus for their writing. They do not have to use it word-for-word in the drafting phase, and they can modify it as they need during revising and editing.