DIMENSION


Meaning of DIMENSION in English

di ‧ men ‧ sion W3 AC /daɪˈmenʃ ə n, də-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin dimetiri 'to measure out' ]

1 . a part of a situation or a quality involved in it SYN aspect

dimension of

the moral dimension of world politics

add a new/an extra/another etc dimension (to something)

His coaching has added another dimension to my game.

political/social/economic etc dimension

It is important to keep in mind the historical dimension to these issues.

You can have a spiritual dimension to your life without being religious.

2 . [usually plural] the length, height, width, depth, or ↑ diameter of something SYN measurement :

a rectangle with the dimensions 5cm x 2cm

dimension of

We’ll need to know the exact dimensions of the room.

3 . a direction in space that is at an angle of 90 degrees to two other directions:

A diagram represents things in only two dimensions.

⇨ ↑ fourth dimension , ↑ three-dimensional (1), ↑ two-dimensional (1)

4 . dimensions [plural] how great or serious a problem is:

a catastrophe of enormous dimensions

• • •

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs

▪ add/give/bring a new etc dimension to something

Digital cameras have added a new dimension to photography.

▪ have a new/social etc dimension

Learning a language has an important cultural dimension.

▪ take on a new/extra etc dimension (=develop in a way that is new or different)

Since I met her, my life has taken on a completely different dimension.

■ adjectives

▪ a new/different dimension

The size of the bombs gave a new dimension to the terrorists’ campaign.

▪ an extra/added/additional/further dimension

Movies soon had the added dimension of sound.

▪ a social/political/cultural dimension

His writing has a strong political dimension.

▪ a moral/ethical dimension

The book discusses the ethical dimension involved in genetic engineering.

▪ a spiritual dimension

He was interested in the spiritual dimension to art.

▪ the human dimension

What the figures cannot show us is the human dimension of the disaster.

▪ an international dimension

The foreign players bring an international dimension to the English Premier League.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.