grammar

plural grammars · alternative archaic grammary · alternative obsolete grammer

1. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
   1. uncountablehuman sciencesThe study of such a system.
2. uncountableActual or presumed prescriptive notions about the correct use of a language.
3. countableA book describing the grammar (noun sense 1 or noun sense 2) of a language.
4. countablecomputingA formal system specifying the syntax of a language.

   1 more example

   Because real lexicons are big and complex, from a software engineering perspective it is best to write simple grammars that have a simple, well-defined way, of pulling out the information they need from vast lexicons. That is, grammars should be thought of as separate entities which can access the information contained in lexicons. We can then use specialised mechanisms for efficiently storing the lexicon and retrieving data from it.

   2006, Patrick Blackburn · Johan Bos · Kristina Striegnitz, Learn Prolog Now!, §8.2

5. countablecomputingA formal system defining a formal language.
6. countablefigurativelyThe basic rules or principles of a field of knowledge or a particular skill.

   We must learn a new grammar of power in a world that is made up more of the common good – or the common bad – than of self-interest or national interest.

   2011, Javier Solana; Daniel Innerarity, Project Syndicate, The New Grammar of Power

7. UKarchaiccountableA book describing these rules or principles; a textbook.

   a grammar of geography

   1 more example

   To turn this sort of mixture of a gossip and a gospel into anything like a grammar of Distributism has been quite impossible.

   1926, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, “VI: A Summary”, in The Outline of Sanity, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., →OCLC

8. UKabbreviationcountableellipsisinformaluncountableEllipsis of grammar school.

   He’s the old man’s only son. Some baby! Yep, right behind ya. Nope, he donno me. I was in Grammar when he was in High.

   1932, Grace Livingston Hill, chapter 6, in The Patch of Blue, Toronto, Ont.: The Copp Clark Company, Limited, published in the 20th century, →OCLC, page 128

9. countablecellular automataA set of component patterns, along with the rules for connecting them, which can be combined to form more complex patterns such as large still lifes, oscillators, and spaceships.

   Hickerson has a computer program which found a spaceship with speed c/3. In fact a whole grammar of them.

   1991 April 4, Bill Gosper, “LIFELINE:in search of the newsletter”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   Within a few hours of finding the first period 2 ship, Dean had discovered a grammar for constructing an infinite number of different short, wide, period 2 spaceships. A grammar is an "alphabet" of "components", along with rules for the possible sequences of connections between components. Components are simply the identifiable pieces of a ship which reappear over and over in different ships in different combinations.

   1992 August 27, David Bell, “Spaceships in Conway's Life (Part 2a)”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

   Dean's discovery included a much more plentiful family than just the light, medium, and heavy weight spaceships that have been known since the beginning, which he was able to organize into a series of tiles and a grammar for them.

   1994 January 21, Harold McIntosh, “de Bruijn diagrams”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

present singular third person grammars · participle present grammaring · participle past grammared · past grammared · alternative archaic grammary · alternative obsolete grammer

1. intransitiveobsoleteTo discourse according to the rules of grammar; to use grammar.

   She is in her Moods, and her Tenses: / I'll Grammar with you, / And make a trial how I can decline you

   c. 1619–1623, John Ford, “The Lawes of Candy”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)