n.
Pronunciation: di- ˌ t ə r-m ə - ' n ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a : a judicial decision settling and ending a controversy b : the resolving of a question by argument or reasoning
2 archaic : TERMINATION
3 a : the act of deciding definitely and firmly also : the result of such an act of decision b : firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end <a woman of great courage and determination >
4 : a fixing or finding of the position, magnitude, value, or character of something: as a : the act, process, or result of an accurate measurement b : an identification of the taxonomic position of a plant or animal
5 a : the definition of a concept in logic by its essential constituents b : the addition of a differentia to a concept to limit its denotation
6 : direction or tendency to a certain end : IMPULSION
7 : the fixation of the destiny of undifferentiated embryonic tissue