Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A belief or opinion.
  • noun A mental image; an idea or conception: synonym: idea.
  • noun An impulse or whim.
  • noun Small lightweight items for household use, such as needles, buttons, and thread.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A general concept; a mental representation of a state of things.
  • noun A thought; a cognition.
  • noun In the Lockian philos., a complex idea.
  • noun In the Hegelian philos., that comprehensive conception in which conflicting elements are recognized as mere factors of the whole truth.
  • noun An opinion; a sentiment; a view; especially, a somewhat vague belief, hastily caught up or founded on insufficient evidence and slight knowledge of the subject.
  • noun A desire, inclination, intention, or sentiment, generally not very deep nor rational; a caprice; a whim.
  • noun The mind; the power of knowledge; the understanding.
  • noun In a concrete sense, a small article of convenience; a, utensil; some small useful article involving ingenuity or inventiveness in its conception or manufacture: commonly in the plural.
  • noun Synonyms and Impression, fancy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Mental apprehension of whatever may be known or imagined; an idea; a conception; more properly, a general or universal conception, as distinguishable or definable by marks or notæ.
  • A sentiment; an opinion.
  • obsolete Sense; mind.
  • colloq. An invention; an ingenious device; a knickknack.
  • colloq. Inclination; intention; disposition.
  • Miscellaneous small objects; sundries; -- usually referring to articles displayed together for sale.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Mental apprehension of whatever may be known or imagined; an idea; a conception; more properly, a general or universal conception, as distinguishable or definable by marks or notæ.
  • noun A sentiment; an opinion.
  • noun obsolete Sense; mind. Shakespeare.
  • noun colloquial An invention; an ingenious device; a knickknack.
  • noun Any small article used in sewing and haberdashery, such as a button or zipper.
  • noun colloquial Inclination; intention; disposition.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (usually plural) small personal articles or clothing or sewing items
  • noun a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
  • noun a general inclusive concept
  • noun an odd or fanciful or capricious idea

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English nocioun, concept, from Latin nōtiō, nōtiōn-, from nōtus, known, past participle of nōscere, to get to know; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin notio ("a becoming acquainted, a taking cognizance, an examination, an investigation, a conception, idea, notion"), from noscere ("to know"). Compare French notion. See know.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word notion.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • WeirdNET 7 is an fascinating definition. My mother has a room full of patchwork notions but I've never heard the word used this way.

    May 9, 2008

  • My mother always bought her spools of threads and other sewing items in the Notions Department at Hochschild Kohn (a now-vanished Baltimore department store).

    May 9, 2008