# framework

Pronunciation: say "FRAYM-wurk" US /ˈfɹeɪm.wɝk/, UK /ˈfɹeɪm.wɜːk/, AUS /ˈfɹæɪm.wɜːk/

## Noun

1. A basic set of ideas or principles that gives structure to how something is understood or organized.
   - Simple: A basic set of ideas that you use to understand or organize something.
   - _The committee adopted a new framework for evaluating grant proposals._
   - _Her theory offers a useful framework for thinking about social change._
2. A supporting structure made of joined parts or packed particles, with open spaces between them of similar or larger size.
   - Simple: A structure made of joined parts with open spaces between them.
   - _The sculpture's wire framework gave the wet clay something to cling to._
   - _Engineers inspected the steel framework supporting the stadium roof._
3. A building's supporting skeleton of beams, which determines its basic outline and dimensions.
   - Simple: The set of beams that gives a building its basic shape and size.
   - _The wooden framework of the house went up in just three days._
   - _Once the steel framework was complete, crews began installing the floors._
4. A reusable piece of code, sometimes bundled with other tools, that provides a standard environment for building an application.
   - Simple: A set of ready-made code that gives programmers a standard base to build an app on.
   - _The team chose a lightweight framework for the new mobile app._
   - _Many web developers rely on a framework to handle routing and security._
5. In linguistics, an established set of rules and principles for analyzing and describing how a language is structured.
   - Simple: A set of rules used to study and describe how a language works.
   - _The researcher analyzed the dialect using a generative framework._
   - _Different theoretical frameworks describe verb agreement in conflicting ways._
6. The larger branches of a tree that give it its overall shape.
   - Simple: The big branches of a tree that decide its overall shape.
   - _The gardener trained the apple tree's framework into an open, spreading shape._
   - _Heavy snow snapped several limbs in the old oak's framework._

## Origin

A compound of "frame" and "work".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/framework (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).