# sentence

Pronunciation: say "SEN-tuhns" /ˈsɛntəns/

## Noun

1. A grammatically complete group of words containing a subject and a predicate, typically beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period or other punctuation.
   - Simple: A complete group of words that tells one thought, usually starting with a capital letter and ending with a period.
   - _The teacher asked us to underline the subject in each sentence._
   - _A well-constructed sentence makes its meaning clear to the reader._
2. The punishment that a court gives to a person found guilty of a crime, or the judge's formal statement of it.
   - Simple: The punishment a judge gives to someone found guilty of a crime, or the judge's statement of it.
   - _The judge handed down a harsh sentence to the repeat offender._
   - _After serving eight years of a twelve-year sentence, he was released on parole and moved back in with his sister._

## Verb

3. To formally declare the punishment a convicted person must undergo; to condemn to punishment.
   - Simple: To officially state what punishment a guilty person will receive.
   - _The court sentenced the defendant to community service._
   - _A judge may sentence repeat offenders more harshly._
5. To decree, announce, or hand down something as a sentence.
   - Simple: To officially announce something, usually a punishment, as a judgment.

## Noun

4. The decision or judgment delivered by a jury or court; a verdict. *(dated)*
   - Simple: The decision or verdict reached by a court or jury.
6. An opinion or judgment declared on a particular question. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A firmly stated opinion or judgment about a particular question.
7. A short, pithy statement of wisdom, especially one credited to an eminent person. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A wise saying, especially one from a great person.
8. A person's own opinion or manner of thinking. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person's opinion or way of thinking.
9. The sense, meaning, or significance of a thing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The meaning, sense, or significance of something.

## Verb

10. To speak sententiously, in the manner of pronouncing a maxim. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To speak in a serious, wise-sounding way, as if giving a maxim.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Any of the strings of symbols that a given formal grammar can generate.
- (noun) A logical formula that contains no free variables.

## Origin

The Proto-Indo-European root *sent- ("to feel") lies behind Latin sentiō ("to feel, think"), which gave sententia ("way of thinking, opinion, sentiment"); English borrowed the word from Anglo-French sentence.

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