Sentence

//ˈsɛntəns// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The decision or judgement of a jury or court; a verdict. dated

    "The court returned a sentence of guilt in the first charge, but innocence in the second."

  2. 2
    (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed wordnet
  3. 3
    The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.

    "The judge declared a sentence of death by hanging for the infamous child rapist."

  4. 4
    a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language wordnet
  5. 5
    A punishment imposed on a person convicted of a crime.
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned wordnet
  2. 7
    A saying, especially from a great person; a maxim, an apophthegm. obsolete

    "Men (saith an ancient Greek sentence) are tormented by the opinions they have of things, and not by things themselves."

  3. 8
    A grammatically complete series of words consisting of a subject and predicate, even if one or the other is implied. In modern writing, when using e.g. the Latin, Greek or Cyrillic alphabets, typically beginning with a capital letter and ending with a full stop or other punctuation.

    "Near-synonym: clause"

  4. 9
    A formula with no free variables.
  5. 10
    Any of the set of strings that can be generated by a given formal grammar.
  6. 11
    Sense; meaning; significance. obsolete

    "Noght o word spak he moore than was neede, / And that was seyd in forme and reverence / And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence […]"

  7. 12
    One's opinion; manner of thinking. obsolete

    "My sentence is for open war."

  8. 13
    A pronounced opinion or judgment on a given question. archaic

    "[I]f it may bee lawfull to iudge or giue any ſentence thereof, it [the author of the book of Ruth] was either Samuell, or ſome other godly Prophet vnder the raigne of Saule, [...]"

Verb
  1. 1
    To declare a sentence on a convicted person; to condemn to punishment. transitive

    "The judge sentenced the embezzler to ten years in prison, along with a hefty fine."

  2. 2
    pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law wordnet
  3. 3
    To decree, announce, or pass as a sentence. especially, poetic

    "“We are empowered to deliver thee to prison; yea, the law commands us to sentence death upon the abettors of this mischief.[…]""

  4. 4
    To utter sententiously. obsolete

    "Let me heare one wise man sentence it, rather then twenty Fooles, garrulous in their lengthened tattle."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French sentence, from Latin sententia (“way of thinking, opinion, sentiment”), from sentiēns, present participle of sentiō (“to feel, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle French sentence, from Latin sententia (“way of thinking, opinion, sentiment”), from sentiēns, present participle of sentiō (“to feel, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

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