notion
Pluralnotions
- 1A mental grasp of something that can be known, thought, or imagined; an idea or concept.
He challenged the popular notion that talent alone guarantees success.
Philosophers have long debated abstract notions like free will and personal identity.
Similaridea, concept, belief, conception, theory
Note
The intellectual core of the word comes from Latin nōtiō, 'a becoming acquainted', built on nōscō, 'to know', a cousin of English know. Isaac Watts in 1725 treats notion and idea as near-equivalents. William Hamilton's lectures split the word in two: the act of taking note of an object's marks and qualities, and the result of that act.
- 2A personal opinion or sentiment about some matter.
She voiced the notion that the committee had acted far too hastily.
His political notions shifted considerably over the years.
Similaropinion, view, belief, idea
Note
Here a notion is held rather than merely grasped, and the verb that holds it is often entertain. Joseph Addison mocks 'the extravagant notion they entertain of themselves.' Opinions of this kind can be self-serving: John Henry Newman writes of a perverse will collecting 'a system of notions' to justify itself. The self-flattering kind points toward the Irish 'notions' of grandeur.
- 3An inclination or impulse to do something; a sudden intention.
He took a notion to sell everything and sail around the world.
If the notion strikes her, she'll repaint the entire kitchen in a day.
Similarwhim, impulse, urge, fancy, inclination
Note
In this sense a notion is an intention rather than a belief, and the construction shows which is meant. A notion to do something is an impulse, as in 'I have a notion to do it.' A notion that something is so is an opinion. The infinitive marks this colloquial sense, usually after have or take.
- 4A small article used in sewing and haberdashery, such as a button, zipper, or thimble, whether attached to a garment or used as a tool.
The fabric store keeps its notions on a rack near the cutting table.
A single notion like a sturdy snap can make or break a garment's fit.
- 5An ingenious little device, invention, or trinket.
The peddler's cart was crowded with notions: folding scissors, trick locks, and pocket gadgets.
She picked up a curious notion that folded down to the size of a coin.
Similargadget, gizmo, contraption, trinket, novelty
- 6An inflated sense of one's own importance; pretentiousness or overambition.
Early success filled him with notions far beyond his actual talents.
She has a notion of herself as destined for greatness.
Similarpretension, conceit
Note
An Irish colloquialism that lives only in the plural. Someone who has notions is getting above themselves: aiming higher or putting on more airs than others think proper. The singular does not carry this meaning, so a notion about oneself reads as an opinion in ordinary English. Only the plural notions, said with a raised eyebrow, marks the Irish usage.
Less common meaning
- 7The mind; the faculty of sense and understanding.
Who wrought with them, and all things else that might / To half a soul and to a notion crazed / Say, 'Thus did Banquo.'
c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”Note
Shakespeare's Macbeth gives the clearest picture of this lost meaning. In 'to half a soul and to a notion crazed', notion stands beside soul as the faculty that perceives and understands. Read it there as 'mind', not 'idea'. The sense is obsolete and belongs to reading older texts. A modern writer using it would be misread as meaning an idea or concept.
Practice
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Origin
From Latin nōtiō ("a becoming acquainted, an examination, a conception, idea, notion"), from nōscō ("to know"); compare French notion.