Difference Between Term and Word

April 19, 2015 Posted by Admin

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Term vs Word
 
Most of us do not give much thought to the difference between term and word and use them
interchangeably. However, a word is a meaningful element in a language. A term, on the
other hand, is a word but has a particular meaning in a situation. Hence, these two cannot
be used interchangeably. The relationship between a word and a term can simply be
understood in the following manner. All terms are words, but not all words are terms. This
highlights that words have a general meaning, which applies to our day to day
understanding. However, a term goes a step further; it acquires a special meaning in a
special situation. Through this article let us examine the differences between a word and a
term.

What is a Word?
A word can be defined as a complete meaningful element of a language. Words are
made up ofmorphemes that are the smallest elements of a language. Unlike morphemes
that may or may not be able to stand alone, words can always make sense even in
isolation. When a number of words are put together, they create a sentence. However, we
must pay attention to the grammatical rules that apply to language when creating
sentences.

Words can be spoken or else written. These always carry a meaning that is understood by
the majority, making the meaning almost universal to the speaker. However, a term does
not always carry the same meaning. Most terms are also words. This can be a single word
or else a combination of words. When we say culture, value, crime, girl, animal, all these
words have a universal meaning to the reader. However, a term does not have this
characteristic. It has a special meaning in a specific context.
 ‘Girl’ is a word

What is a Term?
A term can simply be understood as a word. All terms are words, but not all words are
terms. A term is a particular definition of a word, which is applicable to a special
situation. For example, in disciplines such as sociology, psychology, biology, geography,
there are terms that convey a unique meaning to the user. A term can be used to express
an idea, an abstract thought, an object, a concept, etc. A term always represents
something.

The special feature of a term is that even though it may have a general meaning in our day
to day life, it is different from the meaning with which it is associated in a particular
discipline. For example, let us take the very idea of a word.

Most of us consider a word as something that is used to represent something else such as
a chair or a book. However, a linguistic may have a completely different definition for a
word. He may consider it as the smallest meaningful element of a language. A
sociolinguistic may define it as the relationship between the signifier and the signified. This
highlights that a term and a word are very different from one another.
 As a term a word has a different meaning from its general usage

What is the difference Between Term and Word?

• Definitions of Term and Word:
• A word can be defined as a complete meaningful element of a language.

• A term is a particular definition of a word, which is applicable to a specific situation.

• Connection:
• All terms are words, but not all words are terms.

• Meaning:
• Words have a universal meaning to the speaker of that particular language.

• A term does not have a universal meaning. It has a special meaning in a specific situation.

• Transferring Meaning:
• A word can be transformed into a term when used in a discipline to refer to a specific
object or situation.